Abstract
Introduction: Corneal blindness is a major public health problem worldwide and fungal keratitis is one of its predominant causes. The etiological and epidemiological pattern of fungal keratitis varies signicantly with patient population, geographical region and prevailing socioeconomic conditions. Objectives:The objective of the study was to identify the specic pathogenic agents and to study epidemiological characteristics of fungal keratitis presenting at a tertiary care centre in Patna, Bihar. Materials And Methods: Corneal scrapings were obtained from clinically suspected patients of keratomycosis during the period of 18 months from May 2015 to October 2016. The scraping material was processed and identied by standard laboratory techniques. Demographic and clinical features of the patients were also collected. Results: Out of total 115 suspected fungal corneal ulcers, 63(54.78%) were positive for fungal etiology. Of these, 53(84.13%) were positive on KOH mount. 40(63.49%) and 35(55.56%) were positive in Gram stain and culture respectively. In culture, aspergillus spp (16;45.71%) were the predominant fungal species, followed by fusarium spp (12;34.29%). Males (35/63;55.56%) were more commonly affected. 22 out of 63 patients (34.92%) were of age group 31-45 years. Majority of patients were farmers (68.25%). Corneal trauma (50.79%) was the most common predisposing factor in which trauma due to vegetative matter (53.13%) was most signicant. Conclusion: Fungal keratitis continues to be a cause of concern to ophthalmologists. Agricultural activity and related ocular trauma are principal causes of mycotic keratitis. A potassium hydroxide (KOH) wet mount preparation is a simple, and sensitive, method for diagnosis.
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