A Case of Fungal Keratitis Caused by Colletotrichum Species / 대한임상미생물학회지

ABSTRACT

Colletotrichum is mainly a fungal pathogen of plants, but sporadic cases of human infection have been reported recently. Most of them are fungal keratitis and only a few cases have been reported worldwide. A 63-year-old female farmer developed foreign body sensation and watering in her left eye following trauma by rice leaves. At presentation, her visual acuity decreased and corneal ulcer and inflammation in anterior chamber were observed on a slit lamp examination. Numerous hyphae were found on Gram stain and a rapidly growing mold with cup-shaped acervuli and falcate and nonseptate conidia was observed on fungal culture. As morphological findings did not lead to definite differentiation of the organism, sequencing of the D1-D2 domain of 28S rDNA was performed. It proved to be Colletotrichum species and the patient was treated with amphotericin and natamycin eye drop, but complicated by acute glaucoma. This is the first report of Colletotrichum keratitis in Korea and suggests that its infection should be considered in patients with fungal keratitis.