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Cornea Free Papers
Spectrum of Mycotic Keratitis: 5-Year Review
of Patients at A Tertiary Eye Care Center in
Tamilnadu
Dr. D Chandrasekhar, Dr. J Kaliamurthy, Dr. Pragya Parmar, Dr. C M
Kalavathy, Dr. C A Nelson Jesudasen, Dr. Philip Aloysius Thomas
Mycotic keratitis (Keratomycosis, Fungal keratitis) refers to a suppurative,
usually ulcerative infection of the cornea that is caused by fungi. Such
an infection may threaten sight and even lead to the loss of the eye. Corneal
infections are the second most common cause of monoocular blindness after
unoperated cataract in some developing countries in the tropics. It has been
increasing recently in India and other developing countries. 1-4 Fungal keratitis
is caused by a large number of saprophytic fungi, and the aetiological agents
of fungal keratitis show a varying pattern with respect to geographic locale
and climatic conditions, additionally, the spectrum of fungal pathogens
causing fungal keratitis changed significantly in different year. To improve
the management of patients with fungal keratitis, it is important for
ophthalmologists to gain information of the common fungal isolates within
their region. This report describes the spectrum of the spectrum of fungi
isolated from corneal ulceration in patients treated at a tertiary eye care center
in Tamilnadu during a 5-year period.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted with the approval of the Institutional Ethics
Committee of the authors’ institution and was designed as a retrospective
review of Microbiological records and the patients’ medical record. Medical
records of all keratitis patients who underwent for microbiological investigation
from January 2005 to December 2009 were reviewed. The predisposing factors
and risk factor were abstracted from the history documented in the medical
record. The microbiological data of all patients with suspected infectious
corneal ulceration who presented to the ocular microbiology service at Joseph
Eye Hospital, Trichy between January 2005 and December 2009 were also
reviewed retrospectively.
Microbiological Investigation: On presentation, corneal specimens from
scrapings were stained with the Gram and also viewed as wet mount
preparations using lactophenol cotton blue (LPCB). The corneal material was
also inoculated directly onto the following media that support the growth of
bacteria, fungi and Acanthamoeba: sheep blood agar, Sabouraud’s dextrose
agar and broth and brain–heart infusion agar and broth. Brain–heart infusion
agar and broth, and blood agar were incubated at 37°C and were examined
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