Fusarium species recovered from the water distribution system of a French university hospital

Dijon Hospital is a French tertiary care institution undergoing major renovation, and different microbiological controls revealed the presence of Fusarium spp. in the water distribution system. Because some Fusarium spp. can cause life-threatening opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients, an 8-month survey was conducted in two hospital sites in order to evaluate the prevalence of the fungi in the water system. In 2 units of one hospital site, 100% of the samples of tap-water were positive, with high concentrations of Fusarium spp. (up to 105 cfu/L). In the second hospital site, 94% of samples were positive, but generally with lower concentrations. The analysis of translation elongation factor 1α (TEF) sequences of 146 isolates revealed the presence of two different Fusarium species: F. oxysporum was detected in all units explored of both hospital sites, and F. dimerum only in one unit of one hospital site. For both species, we suggest that the fungi discovered could be particularly adapted to an aquatic environment.