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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Detection of Fusarium Species in Clinical Specimens by Probe-Based Real-Time PCR

Grit WaltherJuergen LoefflerVolker RickertsJan SpringerDaniel TeschnerOliver KurzaiBirgit WillingerHermann EinseleAxel HamprechtAxel Hamprecht

subject

Microbiology (medical)Fusariumprobe-based real-time PCRPcr assayPlant ScienceFungusBiologyArticleMicrobiology03 medical and health sciencesFusariumIn patientddc:610Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics030304 developmental biology0303 health sciencesbronchoalveolar lavage fluid030306 microbiologyfood and beveragesEye infectionbiology.organism_classificationInvasive fungal diseaseReal-time polymerase chain reactionfungal molecular diagnosticsGenus Fusarium610 Medizin und Gesundheit

description

The mold Fusarium is a ubiquitous fungus causing plant, animal and human infections. In humans, Fusarium spp. are the major cause of eye infections in patients wearing contact lenses or after local trauma. Systemic infections by Fusarium spp. mainly occur in immunosuppressed patients and can disseminate throughout the human body. Due to high levels of resistance to antifungals a fast identification of the causative agent is an urgent need. By using a probe-based real-time PCR assay specific for the genus Fusarium we analysed several different clinical specimens detecting Fusarium spp. commonly found in clinical samples in Germany. Also, a large collection of lung fluid samples of haematological patients was analysed (n = 243). In these, two samples (0.8%) were reproducibly positive, but only one could be confirmed by sequencing. For this case of probable invasive fungal disease (IFD) culture was positive for Fusarium species. Here we describe a rapid, probe-based real-time PCR assay to specifically detect DNA from a broad range of Fusarium species and its application to clinically relevant specimens.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2019-11-12Journal of Fungi
10.3390/jof5040105http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jof5040105