Characterization of a biofilm formed by Fusarium oxysporum on the human nails.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Fusarium spp. has been considered as an onychomycosis agent, but little is known about the etiopathogenesis of fusarial onychomycosis; thus, the objective of this study was to characterize the fungal-nail interaction and the consequences of the nail infection process by Fusarium oxysporum using the human nail, in an ex vivo model. METHODS: The kinetic of biofilm production and infection by F. oxysporum using the nail as the only nutritional source were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, number of culturable cells, metabolic activity, characterization of extracellular matrix, spectroscopy and histopathology analyses. RESULTS: After evaluating the biofilm kinetic over 7 days using different parameters and techniques, it was possible to characterize the Fusarium-nail interaction. CONCLUSIONS: This study is a part of a big project aiming to clarify the fusarial pathogenesis and contributes to proving F. oxysporum is able to adapt, grow, develop, and form a biofilm on healthy human nails, which are crucial steps for the invasion process.