Fusarium oxysporum, an ascomycete fungus in the Nectriaceae family, is predominant in native soils. While some species may be harmless or even beneficial plant endophytes or soil saprophytes, many strains within the F. oxysporum species complex are pathogenic to plants, especially in agricultural settings.
Fusarium oxysporum strain MRL 8996 (NRRL 47514) was isolated from the contact lens of a patient with contact lens-associated fungal keratitis at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation1. The genome assembly was deposited in the NCBI database (accession number PRJNA554890)2.
- Imamura, Y. et al. Fusarium and Candida albicans Biofilms on Soft Contact Lenses: Model Development, Influence of Lens Type, and Susceptibility to Lens Care Solutions. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 52, 171–182 (2008).
- Zhang, Y. et al. The genome of opportunistic fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum carries a unique set of lineage-specific chromosomes. Commun. Biol. 3, 50 (2020).