title: Gangrenous necrosis of the diabetic foot caused by Fusarium acutatum.
abstract: Foot infections are common and serious complications of diabetic patients. We report the case of a 68-year-old patient with a diabetic foot infection that developed into a gangrenous necrosis. Fusarium spp. was isolated on two successive occasions with no other associated microorganisms. Histopathology demonstrated invasion of the fungus into the tisssue. These findings suggested an infection rather than colonization. A detailed morphological study showed that the isolate was Fusarium acutatum, which was confirmed by rDNA sequencing. This fungus is found only in Asia and has not been previously reported as a human pathogen.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Division, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. stajaldeen@hmc.org.qa
authors.forename: Saad J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Taj-Aldeen
authors.forename: Josepa
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gene
authors.forename: Issam
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Al Bozom
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Buzina
authors.forename: José Francisco
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Cano
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guarro
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D005670:Fusarium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005734:Gangrene; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal