Fusarium is a genus of filamentous fungi widely distributed on plants and in the soil. Fusarium may produce mycotoxins in cereal crops, that can affect human and animal health, when enters in the food chain. The main toxins produced by Fusarium are fumonisins, related to oesophagical cancer in humans, and trichothecenes, that inhibit eukariotic protein biosynthesis. As well as being a common contaminant and a well-known plant pathogen, Fusarium spp. may cause various infections in humans that occur in the nails ( onychomycosis) and in the cornea ( keratomycosis or mycotic keratitis). They are also responsible for causing ulcers, necrosis, and other lesions of the skin in addition to infections in some organs and tissues.
