title: Epidemiological Study of Fusarium Species Causing Invasive and Superficial Fusariosis in Japan.
abstract: In Japan, Fusarium species are known etiological agents of human fungal infection; however, there has been no report of a large-scale epidemiological study on the etiological agents of fusariosis. A total of 73 Fusarium isolates from patients with invasive fusariosis (IF, n= 36) or superficial fusariosis (SF, n= 37), which were obtained at hospitals located in 28 prefectures in Japan between 1998 and 2015, were used for this study. Fusarium isolates were identified using Fusarium- and Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC) -specific real-time PCR and partial DNA sequences of the elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1α) gene and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. FSSC was predominately isolated from both patients with IF and SF (IF, 77.8% and SF, 67.6%). Distribution of the phylogenetic species of FSSC isolates from patients with IF and SF exhibited different spectra; specifically, F. keratoplasticum (FSSC 2) (25.0%) was the most frequent isolate from patients with IF, whereas F. falciforme (FSSC 3+4) (32.4%) was the most frequent isolate from patients with SF. Fusarium sp. (FSSC 5) was the second most frequent isolate from both patients with IF and SF (IF, 22.2% and SF, 24.3%). Notably, F. petroliphilum (FSSC 1) was isolated only from patients with IF. Each species was isolated from a broad geographic area, and an epidemic was not observed. This is the first epidemiological study of Fusarium species causing IF and SF in Japan.
authors.affiliation: Medical Mycology Research Center, Chiba University.
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Muraosa
authors.forename: Misato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oguchi
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yahiro
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yaguchi
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamei
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060585:Fusariosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005670:Fusarium / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology