DNA fingerprinting of Fusarium solani isolates related to a cutaneous infection in a sea turtle

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting was applied to Fusarium solani from a cutaneous hyalohyphomycosis in a loggerhead sea turtle. A total of seven F. solani isolates were examined, three from culture collections and four from the turtle infection (one from the turtle's lesions and three from the sand of the tank in which the turtle was kept). The banding patterns of the isolates from culture collections were markedly different from the patterns of the isolates from both the turtle and the sand. The RAPD banding patterns were the same with all the primers used, suggesting that this opportunistic infection may be related to the presence of F. solani in the tank. RAPD techniques can be particularly useful for large-scale epidemiological studies and for identifying sources of infection.