The Dual Pathogen <i>Fusarium</i>: Diseases, Incidence, Azole Resistance, and Biofilms

The increasing resistance of <i>Fusarium</i> species to nearly all first-line antifungal agents in clinical settings has led to its designation as a ‘high-priority’ human pathogen. As a dual pathogen, <i>Fusarium</i> spp. threaten both human health and crop production, impact...

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Main Authors: Dongmei Li, Kincer Amburgey-Crovetti, Emilie Applebach, Tomoko Y. Steen, Richard Calderone
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of Fungi
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/4/294
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author Dongmei Li
Kincer Amburgey-Crovetti
Emilie Applebach
Tomoko Y. Steen
Richard Calderone
author_facet Dongmei Li
Kincer Amburgey-Crovetti
Emilie Applebach
Tomoko Y. Steen
Richard Calderone
author_sort Dongmei Li
collection DOAJ
description The increasing resistance of <i>Fusarium</i> species to nearly all first-line antifungal agents in clinical settings has led to its designation as a ‘high-priority’ human pathogen. As a dual pathogen, <i>Fusarium</i> spp. threaten both human health and crop production, impacting food security. Our recent drug profiling of clinical <i>Fusarium</i> isolates reveals resistance to several front-line antifungals, with notable cross-azole resistance observed in both clinical and plant-associated strains. While the overuse of agricultural azoles has been implicated in the selection of azole-resistant fungi such as <i>Aspergillus</i>, a similar mechanism has been assumed for <i>Fusarium</i> in clinical settings. However, direct genetic evidence supporting this hypothesis remains limited. In this review, part of our Special Interest (SI) series, we discuss the spectrum of human diseases caused by <i>Fusarium</i>. While incidence data are better established for human keratitis and onychomycosis, invasive fusariosis remains globally underreported. We propose reasons for this distinct clinical spectrum bias and explore the potential genetic basis of azole resistance.
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spelling doaj-art-5c7c305b044e4048a89242bddeb15fd62025-08-20T02:28:32ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2025-04-0111429410.3390/jof11040294The Dual Pathogen <i>Fusarium</i>: Diseases, Incidence, Azole Resistance, and BiofilmsDongmei Li0Kincer Amburgey-Crovetti1Emilie Applebach2Tomoko Y. Steen3Richard Calderone4Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University, 3900 Reservoir Rd., Washington, DC 20057, USADepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University, 3900 Reservoir Rd., Washington, DC 20057, USADepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University, 3900 Reservoir Rd., Washington, DC 20057, USADepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University, 3900 Reservoir Rd., Washington, DC 20057, USADepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University, 3900 Reservoir Rd., Washington, DC 20057, USAThe increasing resistance of <i>Fusarium</i> species to nearly all first-line antifungal agents in clinical settings has led to its designation as a ‘high-priority’ human pathogen. As a dual pathogen, <i>Fusarium</i> spp. threaten both human health and crop production, impacting food security. Our recent drug profiling of clinical <i>Fusarium</i> isolates reveals resistance to several front-line antifungals, with notable cross-azole resistance observed in both clinical and plant-associated strains. While the overuse of agricultural azoles has been implicated in the selection of azole-resistant fungi such as <i>Aspergillus</i>, a similar mechanism has been assumed for <i>Fusarium</i> in clinical settings. However, direct genetic evidence supporting this hypothesis remains limited. In this review, part of our Special Interest (SI) series, we discuss the spectrum of human diseases caused by <i>Fusarium</i>. While incidence data are better established for human keratitis and onychomycosis, invasive fusariosis remains globally underreported. We propose reasons for this distinct clinical spectrum bias and explore the potential genetic basis of azole resistance.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/4/294<i>Fusarium</i> species complexesfusariosisbiofilm biologyantifungal resistance
spellingShingle Dongmei Li
Kincer Amburgey-Crovetti
Emilie Applebach
Tomoko Y. Steen
Richard Calderone
The Dual Pathogen <i>Fusarium</i>: Diseases, Incidence, Azole Resistance, and Biofilms
Journal of Fungi
<i>Fusarium</i> species complexes
fusariosis
biofilm biology
antifungal resistance
title The Dual Pathogen <i>Fusarium</i>: Diseases, Incidence, Azole Resistance, and Biofilms
title_full The Dual Pathogen <i>Fusarium</i>: Diseases, Incidence, Azole Resistance, and Biofilms
title_fullStr The Dual Pathogen <i>Fusarium</i>: Diseases, Incidence, Azole Resistance, and Biofilms
title_full_unstemmed The Dual Pathogen <i>Fusarium</i>: Diseases, Incidence, Azole Resistance, and Biofilms
title_short The Dual Pathogen <i>Fusarium</i>: Diseases, Incidence, Azole Resistance, and Biofilms
title_sort dual pathogen i fusarium i diseases incidence azole resistance and biofilms
topic <i>Fusarium</i> species complexes
fusariosis
biofilm biology
antifungal resistance
url https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/11/4/294
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