Cutaneous infection in man caused by Fusarium moniliforme

Abstract

Fusarium moniliforme was isolated from a pustular lesion on the hand of an otherwise healthy male. Branching hyphae were seen in pus stained by the periodic acid-Schiff method. Pustular lesions containing branching hyphae were produced in mice after subcutaneous injection of microconidia. The experimental infection in mice and the naturally occurring lesion in man healed without treatment in 1 to 2 weeks. Although production of catenulate microconida was abundant on several common laboratory media, the characteristic macroconidia of F. moniliforme were produced only on barley-pea-rice straw agar.