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

OBJECTIVES: Invasive fusariosis is an underinvestigated fungal infection of high clinical importance. This meta-analysis aimed to estimate the incidence of this condition globally. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted on January 28, 2026, using PubMed and Web of Science. Articles in English and Spanish were included. There were no limitations on publication date or study type. The review was reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and was non-funded. The protocol was pre-registered on Open Science Framework (doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/YMA6G). RESULTS: 119 articles with a total sample of 2,227,367 patients were included. The incidence was 0.03 cases per 1000 inpatient admissions, 4.27 cases per 1000 solid organ transplants, 8.87 cases per 1000 hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, and 5.62 cases per 1000 patients with hemato-oncological conditions. A higher incidence was reported from Brazil, in contrast with a lower incidence in Italy. Among patient subgroups, incidence was higher in lung transplants than other organ transplants, and adult patients with hemato-oncological conditions showed a higher incidence than pediatrics. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, 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.