TY - JOUR
T1 - Molecular Tracking of Emerging Fusarium Species in Keratitis
T2 - F. veterinarium, F. contaminatum, and F. curvatum
AU - Monteiro, Ruan Campos
AU - Yu, Maria Cecília Zorat
AU - Dolatabadi, Somayeh
AU - Hagen, Ferry
AU - Sandoval-Denis, Marcelo
AU - Francisco, Elaine Cristina
AU - de Freitas, Denise
AU - De Camargo, Zoilo Pires
AU - Höfling-Lima, Ana Luisa
AU - Rodrigues, Anderson Messias
N1 - © 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.
PY - 2025/2/3
Y1 - 2025/2/3
N2 - Fungal keratitis, which is caused primarily by Neocosmospora and Fusarium species, is a significant global health issue that affects more than a million people annually in tropical and subtropical regions. Neocosmospora solani (formerly Fusarium solani) is a leading cause of corneal infections, along with members of the Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC). This study provides new insights by reporting a series of ocular fusariosis cases caused by FOSC members and presenting molecular evidence linking specific haplotypes within FOSC to human infections. We describe three cases of Fusarium keratitis selected from a comprehensive review of clinicopathological data in our institution's archives. These cases were chosen for their distinctive clinical presentations and the involvement of less common Fusarium species. Two of these patients were diagnosed with keratitis and anterior endophthalmitis, and the third patient had a corneal ulcer previously treated with topical antivirals and antibiotics. All patients were successfully treated with topical amphotericin B. The Fusarium isolates from these patients were subjected to detailed molecular characterization, including DNA sequencing (tef1α, rpb2, CaM, tub2, and LSU), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) marker analysis, and MALDI-TOF MS analysis. Remarkably, our study reports the first case of human infection by F. veterinarium, alongside cases involving F. contaminatum and F. curvatum. Furthermore, a molecular survey using haplotypic networks based on tef1α sequences identified genotypes associated with human infections and revealed the emergence of F. veterinarium clade VII. Our findings emphasize the need for vigilance regarding emerging species within the FOSC, particularly F. veterinarium. This highlights the need for improved diagnostic tools and targeted research to combat fusarioid-related infections effectively.
AB - Fungal keratitis, which is caused primarily by Neocosmospora and Fusarium species, is a significant global health issue that affects more than a million people annually in tropical and subtropical regions. Neocosmospora solani (formerly Fusarium solani) is a leading cause of corneal infections, along with members of the Fusarium oxysporum species complex (FOSC). This study provides new insights by reporting a series of ocular fusariosis cases caused by FOSC members and presenting molecular evidence linking specific haplotypes within FOSC to human infections. We describe three cases of Fusarium keratitis selected from a comprehensive review of clinicopathological data in our institution's archives. These cases were chosen for their distinctive clinical presentations and the involvement of less common Fusarium species. Two of these patients were diagnosed with keratitis and anterior endophthalmitis, and the third patient had a corneal ulcer previously treated with topical antivirals and antibiotics. All patients were successfully treated with topical amphotericin B. The Fusarium isolates from these patients were subjected to detailed molecular characterization, including DNA sequencing (tef1α, rpb2, CaM, tub2, and LSU), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) marker analysis, and MALDI-TOF MS analysis. Remarkably, our study reports the first case of human infection by F. veterinarium, alongside cases involving F. contaminatum and F. curvatum. Furthermore, a molecular survey using haplotypic networks based on tef1α sequences identified genotypes associated with human infections and revealed the emergence of F. veterinarium clade VII. Our findings emphasize the need for vigilance regarding emerging species within the FOSC, particularly F. veterinarium. This highlights the need for improved diagnostic tools and targeted research to combat fusarioid-related infections effectively.
KW - Fusarium/genetics
KW - Humans
KW - Keratitis/microbiology
KW - Fusariosis/microbiology
KW - Male
KW - Female
KW - Sequence Analysis, DNA
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
KW - Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis
KW - Adult
KW - Haplotypes
KW - Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use
KW - Aged
KW - DNA, Fungal/genetics
U2 - 10.1007/s11046-025-00929-7
DO - 10.1007/s11046-025-00929-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 39899146
SN - 0301-486X
VL - 190
SP - 22
JO - Mycopathologia
JF - Mycopathologia
IS - 1
ER -