title: Sewage and community shower drains are environmental reservoirs of Fusarium solani species complex group 1, a human and plant pathogen.
abstract: In two recent studies, clinical isolates in the Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC) were sequenced; one of the most common lineages was FSSC Group 1 (FSSC 1), a phylogenetic species that is synonymous with F. solani f. sp. cucurbitae race 2, a pathogen of cucurbit fruits. FSSC 1 was also identified in sink and shower drains in two hospitals. The environmental sources of FSSC 1 are important for understanding the epidemiology of both human and plant diseases caused by this organism. FSSC 1 was detected in sewage influent at all six tested urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in California with a concentration ranging from 75 to 413 colony-forming units (cfu) l(-1), a mean of 246 +/- 52 cfu l(-1) and a median of 254 cfu l(-1). During the treatment process, the concentration of FSSC 1 in the solid and liquid fractions diminished. FSSC 1 was detected in five and six of 14 community shower drains by culturing and polymerase chain reaction, respectively, whereas FSSC DNA was detected in all drains. FSSC accounted for 17 +/- 6% (n = 14) of the total fungal DNA in the drains. FSSC 1 was rarely isolated from post-harvest cucurbit fruits and was not found in cucurbit fields in California.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8680, USA.
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Mehl
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Epstein
mesh_terms: D028464:Cucurbita / Q000382:microbiology; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000382:microbiology*; D004323:Drainage, Sanitary; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005670:Fusarium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D009181:Mycoses / Q000382:microbiology; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D014871:Water Microbiology; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage