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A Contrast of Three Inoculation Techniques used to Determine the Race of Unknown Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. niveum Isolates
Published on: October 28, 2021
Phenotypic and molecular identification of Fusarium spp. clinical and environmental isolates
Alexandra M Montoya1, Joan Grimaldo1, Gloria M González1
1Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico.
Background:
Fusarium is a genus of fungi whose identification is based primarily on phenotypic characteristics, although molecular identification procedures have outperformed conventional procedures. In Mexico, there is no information on the species or complexes of the members of this genus.
Objective:
To identify the species of a collection of 116 Fusarium spp. strains obtained from clinical and environmental samples.
Material And Methods:
Phenotypic identification was carried out by morphology analysis of cultures on the following media: Sabouraud dextrose agar, dextrose potato agar, oat agar, Speziller Nährstoffarmer agar and water agar. Molecular identification was performed by amplification and sequencing of the ITS, TEF1, RPB2 and CL regions.
Results:
Only 39 Fusarium strains could be identified at the complex level using phenotypic characteristics. The remaining 77 strains were identified using molecular procedures. In addition, molecular confirmation of identification was sought for the 39 strains already mentioned. ITS sequencing was sufficient for the identification of F. oxysporum and F. solani complex species. For the identification of other species, the sequencing of TEF1, RPB2 and/or CL was required.
Conclusions:
Phenotypic identification was often limited by the lack of fungal structure production when cultured on conventional and some minimal media. Molecular procedures are essential to achieve the precise identification of the species of this genus.
Insights
Accurate Fusarium species identification in Mexico is crucial. Molecular methods are essential, outperforming traditional phenotypic identification for clinical and environmental fungal samples.
Area of Science:
- Mycology
- Fungal Taxonomy
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Fusarium species identification traditionally relies on phenotypic characteristics.
- Molecular identification methods offer superior accuracy compared to conventional techniques.
- There is a lack of data on Fusarium species and complexes in Mexico.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the species of 116 Fusarium strains from clinical and environmental sources.
- To evaluate the efficacy of phenotypic and molecular methods for Fusarium identification.
- To establish a baseline for Fusarium species distribution in Mexico.
Main Methods:
- Phenotypic identification via morphology on various culture media (Sabouraud dextrose agar, dextrose potato agar, oat agar, Speziller Nährstoffarmer agar, water agar).
- Molecular identification through amplification and sequencing of ITS, TEF1, RPB2, and CL regions.
- Comparative analysis of phenotypic and molecular identification results.
Main Results:
- Phenotypic methods identified only 39 strains at the complex level.
- Molecular procedures were required to identify the remaining 77 strains.
- ITS sequencing was sufficient for Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium solani complex identification; other species required TEF1, RPB2, and/or CL sequencing.
Conclusions:
- Phenotypic identification of Fusarium is often limited by poor fungal structure production in culture.
- Molecular procedures are indispensable for precise Fusarium species identification.
- This study highlights the necessity of molecular techniques for accurate fungal diagnostics in Mexico.
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