Less-Frequent FusariumSpecies of Clinical Interest: Correlation between Morphological and Molecular Identification and Antifungal Susceptibility

ABSTRACTForty-eight Fusariumisolates morphologically identified as belonging to seven species of clinical interest (i.e., Fusarium chlamydosporum, Fusarium dimerum, Fusarium incarnatum, Fusarium napiforme, Fusarium nygamai, Fusarium proliferatum, and Fusarium sacchari) were characterized molecularly by the analysis of the sequences of the TUB region of the ß-tubulin gene. F. chlamydosporumand F. dimerumwere the most genetically heterogeneous species. A high degree of correlation between the morphological and molecular identification was shown among the isolates studied. A table with the key morphological features for the identification of these Fusariumspecies is provided. The antifungal susceptibilities of the Fusariumisolates to 11 antifungal drugs were tested; terbinafine was the most active drug against all the species tested with the exception of F. incarnatum, for which amphotericin B was the most active.