Case Of Fungal Keratitis Research Articles

Pseudonectria keratitis—emerging pathogenic fungi in the eye

BackgroundInfectious keratitis, a significant contributor to blindness, with fungal keratitis accounting for nearly half of cases, poses a formidable diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to its delayed clinical presentation, prolonged culture times, and the limited availability of effective antifungal medications. Furthermore, infections caused by rare fungal strains warrant equal attention in the management of this condition.Case presentationA case of fungal keratitis was presented, where corneal scraping material culture yielded pink colonies. Lactophenol cotton blue staining revealed distinctive spore formation consistent with the Fusarium species. Further analysis using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) identified the causative agent as Fusarium proliferatum. However, definitive diagnosis of Pseudonectria foliicola infection was confirmed through ITS sequencing. The patient’s recovery was achieved with a combination therapy of voriconazole eye drops and itraconazole systemic treatment.ConclusionPseudonectria foliicola is a plant pathogenic bacterium that has never been reported in human infections before. Therefore, ophthalmologists should consider Pseudonectria foliicola as a possible cause of fungal keratitis, as early identification and timely treatment can help improve vision in most eyes.

A rare case of fungal keratitis caused by Tintelnotia destructans

A rare case of fungal keratitis caused by Tintelnotia destructans

A Case of Fungal Keratitis Caused by Scopulariopsis brevicaulis

A Case of Fungal Keratitis Caused by Scopulariopsis brevicaulis

Successful Management of Fungal Keratitis Caused by Multidrug-Resistant Cladosporium Species Using Povidone-Iodine.

We report a unique case of fungal keratitis, caused by the Cladosporium species, which is found to be resistant to multiple drugs, including voriconazole. Cladosporium belongs to the dematiaceous group of fungus, which is present ubiquitous in air, water, food etc. There are only few case reports available about Cladosporium keratitis which shows the successful management with voriconaozle. But in our case, the Cladosporium species was found to be resistant to multiple drugs, including voriconazole, and was successfully managed by topical povidone iodine (PVI) 5%.

Fungal Keratitis Associated with Curvularia lunata: First Case Report from Türkiye

Fungal keratitis is a medical emergency that is among the most common causes of blindness in developing countries. The type of the agent may vary depending on the geographical conditions under which the patient lives, trauma exposure, the use of contact lenses and profession. Curvularia spp. is a saprophytic genus that rarely causes systemic disease in humans and has 250 species identified to date. They proliferate in soil and plants and spread to the environment with their spores and the formation of blackish and fluffy colonies is its most well-known morphological feature. There may be difficulties in cultivating brown (dematiaceous) fungi. Due to the similarity between the genera, conventional methods remain inadequate for diagnosis. In this report, a case of fungal keratitis associated with C.lunata was presented. Seventy-five years-old female patient admitted to the hospital with the symptoms of stinging pain, blurred vision, and swelling in the right eye. Her symptoms had begun four days ago after her eye was hit by a plant. The patient who had a history of peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes mellitus (DM) was hospitalized with a preliminary diagnosis of keratitis, and in the cultures of the patient's corneal scraping samples, the filamentous, black pigment-forming colonies of the pathogen growing on 5% sheep blood agar and potato dextrose agar showing an aerial hyphal structure, were stained with lactophenol cotton blue and examined under the microscope. The microscopic examination revealed geniculate conidiophores with brown pigmentation. On top of these structures were tetralocular macroconidia, one of which appeared to be larger than the main axis. The fungus was subjected to molecular identification with the prediagnosis of Curvularia/Bipolaris. DNA extraction of the ITS region polymerase chain reaction amplification and Sanger sequencing were performed for molecular identification. Sanger sequencing identified the agent to be Curvularia lunata with a similarity rate of 99.79% (NCBI-GenBank Nucleotide ID: OR365075). In vitro antifungal susceptibility of C.lunata was evaluated by microdilution method. Itraconazole and amphotericin B showed higher activity against C.lunata compared to other antifungals while fluconazole was the least active antifungal. Intrastromal and subconjunctival voriconazole injection was applied to the patient who was unresponsive to empirically initiated oral moxifloxacin and different topical treatments (vancomycin, ceftazidime, flucanozole, ganciclovir, cyclopentolate hydrochloride, hyaluronic acid and trehalose). After injection, right penetrating keratoplasty was applied due to increased thinning of the ulcerated area. No pathogen was detected in cultures taken after keratoplasty. Rare fungi should be considered in cases of keratitis that are difficult to treat. Fungal keratitis caused by brown fungi are clinically similar to each other and effective treatment protocols cannot be implemented without a species identification. Identification of the pathogen will enable genus-specific treatment. This will also help prevent complications that may occur. This article aims to present a case of fungal keratitis associated with C.lunata.

Fungal keratitis caused by Scedosporium apiospermum: a case report

BackgroundWe present a case of fungal keratitis caused by Scedosporium apiospermum, which is a rare agent.Case descriptionA 34-year-old Caucasian male patient was admitted to our clinic with complaints of pain and blurred vision in the left eye. The patient had a history of wearing contact lenses for 3 years. According to the Snellen chart, the patient’s visual acuity was 20/20 and counting fingers at 30 cm, for right and left eyes, respectively. A 3 × 3 mm corneal abscess at the center of the cornea with hypopyon in the patient’s left eye was observed. After the patient was hospitalized, fortified gentamicin and fortified cefazolin drops were started 24 times per day. Intravenous fluconazole 1 × 800 mg loading, 1 × 400 mg maintenance dose, intravenous vancomycin 4 × 500 mg and intravenous cefoperazone + sulbactam 2 × 2 g treatments were started. We observed S. apiospermum in the corneal scraping sample, which the identification was performed by combined phenotypic characteristics and matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry on the sixth day of treatment. The drops were revised as fortified vancomycin, ceftazidime, and voriconazole drops 24 times per day. Intravenous voriconazole 2 × 6 mg/kg loading and 2 × 4 mg/kg maintenance dose treatments were started. Three weeks later, left eye visual acuity increased to 20/40, and the corneal abscess regressed. On second-year follow-up, his visual acuity increased to 20/25 for the left eye and the cornea was transparent.ConclusionScedosporium group is an opportunistic filamentous fungus that is very rarely seen and causes severe keratitis infections. In the literature, to the best of our knowledge, three cases of keratitis due to S. apiospermum after contact lenses were reported, and all were treated with penetrating keratoplasty. In this case, unlike the others, only medical treatment was applied. In cases with suspected fungal keratitis, medical treatment should be started without waiting for the culture result, the findings should be followed and penetrating keratoplasty should be performed in the case of no response to treatment.

Therapeutic keratoplasty in a case of fungal keratitis with lattice dystrophy

We report a case of fungal keratitis in a patient with lattice dystrophy who underwent successful therapeutic keratoplasty. A 30-year-old female presented with advanced microbial keratitis in left eye, with lattice dystrophy in both eyes. Scrapping revealed fungal filaments and culture grew Aspergillus flavus. With limbus-to-limbus infiltrate, the patient was posted for emergency left eye therapeutic keratoplasty. At 6-month postoperative period, the patient had a good ambulatory vision with no recurrence. Here, we try to make a point that patients with lattice dystrophy are prone to corneal erosions, making them susceptible to microbial keratitis. Patients should be made aware of this fact and counseled for immediate medical help even after trivial trauma. Therapeutic keratoplasty will be inevitable if they present at an advanced stage.

Fungal Keratitis Due to Fusarium lichenicola: A Case Report and Global Review of Fusarium lichenicola Keratitis.

Fusarium species are among the most commonly isolated causes of fungal keratitis. Most species of the genus Fusarium belong to Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC). Fusarium lichenicola, a member of the FSSC complex, is a well-established plant and human pathogen. However, reports of fungal keratitis due to Fusarium lichenicola have not been frequently reported. To the best of our knowledge, only twelve cases of Fusarium lichenicola keratitis have been reported in the past fifty years. Clinical cases of Fusarium lichenicola may have most likely been misidentified because of the lack of clinical and microbiological suspicion, as well as inadequate diagnostic facilities in many tropical countries where the burden of the disease may be the highest. We report a case of fungal keratitis caused by Fusarium lichenicola and present a global review of the literature of all cases of fungal keratitis caused by this potentially blinding fungus.

Features of antifungal therapy during long-lasting infectious process: a clinical case of fungal keratitis and profile of antifungal sensitivity based on assessing biofilm formation

Among infectious diseases, opportunistic mycoses hold a special place. There has been accumulating a lot of evidence regarding the clinical and epidemiological aspects of infection caused by Fusarium spp., which global incidence rate among microbial keratitis ranges from 2 to 40% depending on the geographical location of the country. Colonizing mucous membranes, fungi can exist not only in the form of plankton, but form biofilms after surface attachment, which leads to elevated resistance to multiple antifungal agents. Here we describe a clinical case of fungal keratitis due to Fusarium solani by determining profile of the antifungal sensitivity for isolated fungal strains, by taking into account their potential for biofilm formation. We used an F. solani culture isolated from the patient as well as F. solani test culture obtained from the Russian National Collection of Microorganisms. While determining the sensitivity of fungal planktonic cultures to antifungal agents from the azole group (fluconazole, voriconazole), amphotericin B and terbinafine, it was revealed that antimycotics amphotericin B and voriconazole exerted a marked antifungal activity against clinical isolate, whereas the plankton F. solani test culture was more sensitive to all groups of antifungal agents. Due to a long-lasting progressive course of the infectious process and the high biofilm-forming ability of the clinical strain F. solani, the activity of antifungal agents on biofilm cells was modeled and examined in vitro. It was shown that regarding to the fungal biofilms, value of the minimally inhibitory concentration exceeded those for planktonic cultures by 100-fold. The mechanisms of action for antifungal agents on vital parameters of fungal cell structures were analyzed by using confocal laser scanning microscopy after staining samples with propidium iodide and acridine orange for 15 min to detect changes between intact and damaged cell surface. It was found that within the biofilm fungal cells preserved viability even after exposure to high concentrations of antifungals. In addition, despite the fungicidal drug activity at substantial concentrations acting on the biofilm cell membrane, the cell nuclei remained viable. Owing to the presence ot the mechanism of resistance in mycelial fungi shown in the study, it is necessary to take into account and investigate characteristics of biofilms in terms of drug sensitivity that will allow to optimize a choice of antimicrobial therapy.

FUNGAL KERATITIS WITH CORNEAL ULCER IN FARMER

Fungal keratitis is an important cause of corneal blindness all over the world, especially in developing countries. Fungal Keratitis can diagnosis by slit-lamp biomicroscopic examination and culture is essential for early specific diagnosis and must be taken into consideration to establish the most effective treatment and avoid severe complications. The study was present a case of Fungal Keratitis in Farmer with a corneal ulcer caused by rice seeds corneal corpus allienum. A corneal ulcer is a complication was caused by ineffective therapy especially Steroid topical that should be avoided. The culture test result was C. Albicans and was treated with natamycin 5% Eye drops. Finally, patients have a good clinical response, however with the sequel of decreased visual acuity.

Queratoplastia penetrante temprana después de queratitis fúngica de la interface en la queratoplastia endotelial de la membrana de Descemet

In this case-report we describe the first reported case of early-onset fungal interface keratitis (IK) after Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK) successfully treated with penetrating keratoplasty (PK) during the active stage of infection. A patient with graft failure after Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK) was operated on with DMEK. Donor rim culture and broth were positive for Candida albicans. Several interface infiltrates were confirmed and localized using anterior segment optical coherence tomography. Three days after diagnosis, observing clear signs of intraocular infection, the graft was removed with simultaneous washed-up of anterior chamber with fluconazole 1% followed by a PK and intrastromal corneal injections of fluconazole. A best-corrected visual acuity of 20/20 was achieved. This case highlights the importance of analysing every donor rim and broth, despite the patient doesn’t show any symptoms or signs during the post-operative period. PK is a viable treatment option in early-onset interface keratitis.

Rare Fungal Keratitis Caused by Coprinellus Radians

A case of fungal keratitis due to Coprinellus radians is reported. To our knowledge, fungal keratitis caused by this species was rare. Fungal hyphae were detected in corneal scrapings, and isolates were identified by morphology and by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA. The patient was treated with systemic and local antifungal therapy for 5 days, and lamellar keratoplasty was performed after no obvious improvement in symptoms. The in vitro antifungal susceptibilities of the case strain were tested for six antifungal agents. The results showed that 5-fluorouracil was resistant, fluconazole was moderately sensitive, and the other drugs assayed (amphotericin B, posaconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole) were highly effective against this fungus.

Ocular scedosporiosis in an immunocompetent host

Scedosporium apiospermum infection in humans is rare. Fungal keratitis is the most common manifestation of S. apiospermum infection in immunocompetent individuals. S. apiospermum is a filamentous fungus found in soil and polluted water. Strong suspicion of fungal keratitis should be made in all corneal ulcers with a history of trauma with vegetative matter or soil. Here, we present a case of fungal keratitis caused by S. apiospermum in an immunocompetent host.

Acremonium and trichosporon fungal keratoconjunctivitis in a Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius)

A 6-year-old male leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) was presented with a 2-year history of recurrent dysecdysis involving the ocular surface of both eyes. Ophthalmic examination revealed ocular surface desiccation and multifocal superficial ulcerative keratitis with patchy remnants of retained shed. Other abnormalities included stomatitis and mandibular and maxillary osteomyelitis. Topical and systemic antibiotic therapy, oral vitamin A, and improved husbandry conditions resolved the stomatitis and osteomyelitis but did not improve the ocular surface. Corneal cytology collected with a cytobrush revealed branching hyphae and budding yeast consistent with fungal keratitis. Fungal culture grew Acremonium sp. and Trichosporon sp. The addition of topical antifungal therapy improved the ocular surface health, but the patient was euthanized 7weeks after initial presentation for persistent vomiting and dyspnea. Necropsy was declined. This case describes the first case of fungal keratitis caused by Acremonium sp. and Trichosporon sp. in a reptile.

Fungal keratitis after penetrating keratoplasty

The article presents a case of fungal keratitis after penetrating keratoplasty (PKP). A 35-years old patient had previously undergone surgical removal of an intraocular foreign body and developed chronic keratouveitis and epithelial-endothelial corneal dystrophy. PKP and early postoperative period were uneventful. The patient was frequently monitored with anterior segment photos. Two weeks later, fungal keratitis occurred on the edge of the donor flap. Direct microscopic evaluation revealed fungus spores and filaments, but growth of fungi in culture was negative. Instillation of steroids and antibiotics was discontinued, specific therapy included fluconazole and amphotericin B. Despite the ongoing treatment, keratitis has repeatedly recurred, and infiltrates were scraped. Topical and systemic voriconazole was administered instead of fluconazole in combination with regular scarification. After 3 weeks of treatment with voriconazole, stable corneal epithelialization was achieved and the cornea has restored its transparency. During 1.5 years of the follow-up, keratitis did not reccur; sutures were removed, corrected visual acuity increased to 1.0. Patients who had undergone PKP are at risk of developing fungal keratitis. Frequent monitoring of such patients contributes to early diagnosis of infectious complications. In the absence of officinal antifungal eye drops, specialist has to supply the patient with ex tempore antimycotic agents and change the treatment according to its effectiveness in each specific case.

A case of fungal keratitis after corneal trauma

A case of fungal keratitis after corneal trauma

Effectiveness of voriconazole and corneal cross-linking on Phialophora verrucosa keratitis: a case report

BackgroundWe report a rare case of Phialophora verrucosa fungal keratitis, which required various types of treatment according to the intractable natural history of the disease.Case presentationA 51-year-old Thai man with poorly controlled diabetes received a bamboo branch injury and developed a perforated corneal lesion on his left eye. A pathological study from therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty showed fungal hyphae. This was later identified as Phialophora verrucosa by polymerase chain reaction. This organism was aggressive and recalcitrant because it relapsed with two corneal grafts and was resistant to amphotericin B, natamycin, and itraconazole. However, we found that the efficacy of voriconazole was promising for treating Phialophora verrucosa. We also used corneal cross-linking to establish corneal integrity after the infection was under control.ConclusionsBecause of the chronic nature of Phialophora verrucosa, a patient’s first visit may occur many years after trauma, and sometimes clinical presentation might not appear to indicate fungal infection. Therefore, a high index of suspicion is needed in this situation. Voriconazole showed good results in our case. Instead of using a more invasive keratoplasty, we used corneal cross-linking to strengthen the corneal biomechanics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case showing the benefit of corneal cross-linking to improve corneal biomechanics in resolved Phialophora verrucosa keratitis.

Recurrence of fungal keratitis in corneal transplant

В статье представлен клинический случай грибкового кератита в роговичном трансплантате. У пациента через 4 мес после сквозной кератопластики по поводу прогрессирующей язвы роговицы грибковой этиологии был диагностирован рецидив кератита. Была выполнена повторная сквозная кератопластика с последующим противовоспалительным лечением, но через 3 мес в центре трансплантата появился инфильтрат белого цвета с чёткими границами, который был иссечён. Лабораторное исследование иссечённого фрагмента выявило мицелий грибов рода Fusarium, проведена антимикотическая терапия амфотерицином В 0,2% местно и итраконазолом внутрь в течение 3 нед. Через 1 мес после проведённого лечения зрительные функции оставались на уровне правильной светопроекции, трансплантат был мутным на всей площади, отёк купирован, достигнута эпителизация роговицы. При осмотре в динамике через 2-3 мес болевой синдром отсутствовал, поверхность роговицы была гладкой без эпителиальных дефектов с помутнением трансплантата. Лабораторная диагностика является обязательной при подозрении на грибковую инфекцию. При проведении сквозной кератопластики при грибковом поражении роговицы необходимо иссечение инфильтрата в пределах здоровой ткани. Рецидивы грибковой инфекции в трансплантате роговицы происходят на границе «донор-реципиент».

Fungal keratitis caused by a rare ocular pathogen, Gjaerumia minor: A case report

Fungal keratitis is an important infection of the eye that may cause devastating effects. Keratitis caused by fungi has been described in many parts of the world mainly in tropical countries. The objective of this study is to report a serious eye infection in an adult with a known history of diabetes caused by an uncommon yeast fungus with details of clinical findings and laboratory investigations. Left eye visual acuity was no perception of light due to end stage neovascular glaucoma. The patient was pseudophakic in both eyes. Culture of a corneal scraping showed yeast like organism on Sabouraud dextrose agar. Gjaerumia minor, a rare yeast but with history of a pulmonary infection in the region, was confirmed with 98% similarity in the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene (accession KY690175). Topical Amphotericin B and oral fluconazole were initiated. The patient showed gradual improvement, epithelial defect healed, infiltration steadily regressed and hypopyon disappeared. We report the first case of fungal keratitis caused by G. minor in Saudi Arabia. Fungal Keratitis should be considered in cases where clinical response to the conventional antibacterial antibiotic treatment is not optimal.

Magnusiomyces capitatus: a new and emerging pathogen linked to keratomycosis.

We describe our experience managing a case of fungal keratitis in a 71-year-old immunocompetent woman. Intracameral cultures isolated Magnusiomyces capitatus, a dimorphic commensal microbe with limited pathogenicity, in an immune competent patient. Repeated corneal cultures for bacteria and fungus were negative. Initial broad-spectrum topical fortified antibiotics were eventually escalated to include topical natamycin and voriconazole and oral voriconazole. The patient underwent emergent corneal transplantation, but recurrent infection eventually required anterior chamber washout and intracameral injection of amphotericin B. A combination of topical, systemic, intracameral administration of voriconazole, intracameral administration of amphotericin B, anterior chamber washout, and penetrating keratoplasty were required to clear the infection.