Fusarium Infection in Burned Patients

Abstract

The incidence of fungal infections of burn wounds is increasing because of the dramatic improvement in antibacterial chemotherapy and burn wound care. Species of Fusarium, common soil fungi and plant pathogens, are rarely isolated from burn wounds, and invasive disease due to these organisms is also rare. Therefore, a case of burn wound infection with dissemination due to F. oxysporum is reported; three other cases of burn wound colonization by Fusarium sp. are also reported. The literature on fungal infections of burn wounds is reviewed, and the importance of combined histologic and mycologic studies in the evaluation of such wounds is discussed.

Macroconidia of Fusarium Species

“…Until recently the only known authentic cases of human infection caused by Fusarium were those colonized on burned skin and disseminated systemic infections in burn patients. [2][3][4] Besides this, other types of cutaneous lesions attributed to Fusarium include heaped-up keratotic masses, 5 multiple erythematous lesions 6 and subcutaneous swellings. 7 Fusarium has also been isolated from cases of mycotic keratitis, especially in contact lens users 8 and onychomycosis.…”

Taxonomy, biology, and clinical aspects of Fusarium species

“…while harvesting wheat (266). The patient responded to a total dose of 47 mg of amphotericin B per kg and right lower lobe lobectomy; several other cases of lung involvement were reported in the setting of disseminated fusariosis (26,243,265 At least 58 patients with disseminated fusarial infections have been reported (3,4,16,18,51,63,64,72,87,119,143,145,161,181,189,190,198,201,219,237 these patients was 32 years, with a range of 2 to 69 years. The male-to-female ratio was 2.6:1, without apparent predilection for race.…”

“…Since then, several other cases and a few small series of systemic fusarial hyalohyphomycosis in immunosuppressed patients have been reported (1,6,8,26,63,106,132,137,140,144,145,147,161,169,187,189,219,230,232,234,243,263,265), with a significant increase being noted recently. Localized or systemic fusarial infections have been reported from all around the world (Fig.…”

“…Although most infections occurred in patients with active underlying disease, recently an episode of disseminated fusariosis with heavy involvement of liver and lungs has been (72,106,243). The prevalence of Fusarium spp.…”

Clinical and Epidemiological Aspects of Infections Caused byFusariumSpecies: a Collaborative Study from Israel

“…Some consider it the second most common mold pathogen in these patients (8), causing localized infection, deep-seated skin infections, and disseminated disease. Reports of infection in nonimmunocompromised hosts are infrequent and usually involve dialysis-related, burn wound, or ocular infections (1,2,5,11,12,18,26,28,31,32,(34)(35)(36)(37), although it has been suggested recently that, among these patients, the most frequent site of infection is the skin (27).…”