<i>Fusarium</i><i> solani</i> Species Complex As a Causative Agent of Diabetic Foot Infection

YÜKSEL B., TOSUN M. İ., Baris A., ÇELİK M., USDA Y. E., ÇAKLOVİCA KÜÇÜKKAYA İ., ...Daha Fazla

FLORA INFEKSIYON HASTALIKLARI VE KLINIK MIKROBIYOLOJI DERGISI, cilt.31, sa.3, ss.343-349, 2026 (ESCI, TRDizin)

Özet

Fusarium species are opportunistic fungi capable of causing disseminated infections with high mortality, particularly in immunocompromised hosts. Cutaneous and subcutaneous infections caused by these fungi are uncommon clinical entities that may be overlooked in the differential diagnosis and may represent an early indicator of subsequent systemic dissemination. This report presents a case of invasive cutaneous Fusarium infection in a patient with diabetes mellitus. A 68-year-old woman was admitted with swelling, erythema, and pain involving the dorsal aspect of the right foot. Following hospitalization, the necrotic tissue was surgically debrided, andempirical antimicrobial therapy with ampicillin-sulbactam and ciprofloxacin was initiated. Microbiological culture of the debrided tissue yielded Fusarium spp., Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Enterococcus faecalis. Antifungal susceptibility testing was performed using the gradient strip method and revealed minimal inhibitory concentration values of 6 & micro;g/mL for amphotericin B and >32 & micro;g/mL for both voriconazole and posaconazole. Based on these findings, liposomal amphotericin B was added to the treatment regimen. The isolate was identified as the Fusarium solani species complex by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and DNA sequence analysis. Although no bacterial growth was detected in repeated cultures, Fusarium continued to be isolated. Blood cultures remained negative; however, Fusarium was isolated from the patient's urine culture. Fungal growth at two distinct anatomical sites raised concern for possible dissemination. The patient's clinical status deteriorated rapidly, and the patient died.