Fusarium musae Infection in Animal and Plant Hosts Confirms Its Cross-Kingdom Pathogenicity

Area of Science:

• Mycology
• Plant Pathology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Fusarium musae, part of the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex, has been isolated from both banana fruits and immunocompromised patients.
• Its presence in diverse hosts suggests potential cross-kingdom pathogenicity, bridging plant and animal kingdoms.
• Understanding this pathogenicity is crucial for managing plant diseases and potential human infections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally characterize Fusarium musae infection in both plant (banana) and animal (Galleria mellonella larvae) hosts.
• To provide definitive proof of Fusarium musae's cross-kingdom pathogenicity.
• To develop and validate accurate disease indexes for assessing infection severity in both host types.

Main Methods:

• Development of two distinct infection models: one in banana fruits and another in Galleria mellonella larvae (serving as a human proxy).
• Testing of a global collection of Fusarium musae strains isolated from both banana and human sources.
• Quantification of disease severity using established indexes to differentiate infection levels across hosts.

Main Results:

• All tested strains of Fusarium musae demonstrated the ability to cause significant disease in banana fruits.
• The same strains also proved capable of causing significant disease in Galleria mellonella larvae.
• This provides the first experimental evidence confirming Fusarium musae's pathogenicity across kingdoms.

Conclusions:

• Fusarium musae is confirmed as a cross-kingdom pathogen, capable of infecting both plant and animal hosts.
• The developed infection models and disease indexes offer a valuable tool for future research.
• This study lays the groundwork for investigating host-pathogen interactions of Fusarium musae.