Fusariosis

Fusariosis is an infection caused by fungi of the genus Fusarium, organisms that are common in soil and on plants worldwide. In people with healthy immune systems, Fusarium usually causes only localized problems, such as an infection of the cornea called keratitis, often linked to contact lens use or eye injury, or infection of the nails. In people with severely weakened immune systems, such as those undergoing treatment for blood cancers or recovering from a stem cell transplant, the fungus can spread through the bloodstream and cause a life-threatening disseminated infection affecting the skin, lungs and other organs. Fusarium species are naturally resistant to many antifungal drugs, which makes disseminated fusariosis especially difficult to treat and gives it a high mortality rate in the most vulnerable patients.