Global incidence rates of invasive fusariosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Invasive fusariosis is an under investigated fungal infection of high clinical importance. This meta-analysis aimed to estimate the global incidence of this condition. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted on January 28th, 2026, using PubMed and Web of Science. Articles in English and Spanish were included. There were no limitations on publication date or study type. Review was reported according to PRISMA guidelines and was non-funded. Protocol was pre-registered on OSF (Doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/YMA6G). RESULTS: 119 articles with a sample of 2,227,367 patients were included. Incidence was 0.03 cases / 1,000 inpatient admissions, 4.27 cases / 1,000 solid organ transplants, 8.87 cases / 1,000 HSCT recipients, and 5.62 cases / 1,000 patients with hemato-oncological conditions. A higher incidence was reported from Brazil, in contrast to a lower incidence in Italy. Among patient subgroups, incidence was higher in lung transplants compared to other organs and adult patients with hemato-oncological conditions showed a higher incidence compared to pediatrics. CONCLUSION: This was the first attempt at estimating the global incidence of invasive fusariosis identifying significant differences between patients and countries. The identification of specific patients at higher risk should enable clinicians to preemptively emblement prophylactic measures, screening tests, and early treatment approaches for this critical condition.