# The Multifaceted Menace of Fusarium as a Plant, Animal, and Human Pathogen

## TL;DR

Fusarium fungi, known for harming crops, can also infect animals and humans, highlighting the need for a unified approach to manage this versatile pathogen.

## Contribution

This review integrates plant, animal, and human perspectives to reveal shared mechanisms enabling Fusarium to infect diverse hosts.

## Key findings

- Fusarium uses shared virulence mechanisms and genomic plasticity to adapt across different hosts.
- Environmental change influences the distribution and pathogenic potential of Fusarium species.
- A One Health framework is essential for managing Fusarium's impact across agriculture, veterinary, and human health.

## Abstract

Fusarium is widely known for causing devastating crop diseases and contaminating food with harmful toxins. However, it is increasingly recognized as a pathogen that can also infect animals and humans. This ability to cross host boundaries raises important concerns for agriculture, public health, and environmental management. This review explores how Fusarium survives in diverse environments and why it can infect such different hosts. By considering plant, animal, and human infections together, we highlight the need for coordinated strategies to manage this globally significant fungal threat under a One Health framework.

Fusarium is a diverse genus of filamentous fungi that has long been recognized for its importance in plant disease and food security. Beyond its agricultural impact, a growing number of studies now show that Fusarium species can also act as opportunistic pathogens in animals and humans. This review synthesizes current knowledge on Fusarium biology by integrating perspectives from plant pathology, veterinary science, and medical mycology. We examine how shared virulence mechanisms, environmental reservoirs, and genomic plasticity—including accessory chromosomes and horizontal gene transfer—facilitate adaptation across plant, animal, and human hosts. We also consider the role of environmental change in shaping the distribution and pathogenic potential of this genus. By bringing together evidence that is often scattered across disciplines, this review emphasizes the need to move beyond host-specific views and highlights Fusarium as a useful model for understanding fungal adaptability and cross-kingdom pathogenicity within a One Health framework.