Nature
The genus Fusarium is a group of ubiquitous fungi found in soil and water environments (1), very common in warm and tropical regions (2). These fungi are well known saprophytes but also plant pathogens (1), with the ability to produce a large number of mycotoxins. The mycotoxins produced by Fusarium spp. including F. proliferatum are (among others) deoxyvalenol (DON), zearalenone (ZON), T-2 toxin, fumonisins B1, B2 and B3, beauvericin and fusaproliferin (3-9). Mycotoxins contaminate crops and have serious effects on the feed industry as they decrease yield and quality of the crop (4, 5, 9); fumonisin in particular has the potential to cause disease in animals and humans (10-12).
Fusarium proliferatum is the anamorph (asexual form) of the fungus G. fujikuroi (teleomorph, the sexual form) (9). F. proliferatum is able to cause disease in a very diverse range of plant species including rice (3), soy bean (13), maize and wheat (14), barley (5), asparagus (7), ornamentals such as Sansevieria trifasciata (15), prairie grasses (6), garlic (9), fig, onion, palm and pine (8).
Fusarium spp. Colonies are fast growing, variable in color, with an aerial mycelium taking a felt-like appearance. Conidia (a type of spore) are produced; depending on the species, macro- and microconidia are produced; these vary in shape and size. F. proliferatum can produce microconidial chains (2).
There is considerable overlap between peak fungal activity season and other allergens such as grass and weed pollens, often masking the pathology caused by fungal spores in multi-sensitized people (16). Fusarium spp. spores were detected at higher levels in the autumn and contributed on average to 3.03% of the total mold spores caught during a study spanning a 2-year period (17).
Taxonomy
Taxonomic tree of Fusarium genus (18)
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Domain
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Eukaryota
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Kingdom
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Fungi
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Phylum
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Ascomycota
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Subphylum
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Pezizomycotina
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Class
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Sordariomycetes
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Order
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Hypocreales
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Family
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Nectriaceae
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Genus
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Fusarium
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Taxonomic tree of Fusarium genus (18)
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Tissue
Spores (17).