Causes of suppurative keratitis in Ghana.

Abstract

In total, 122 patients (61.3%) had their treatment either determined or altered based on the results of the microbiological diagnosis; in 87 of these solely on the basis of direct microscopic examination. Conclusions-Infection by filamentous fungi accounted for more than half of the ulcers from which cultures were obtained. Both training in technique and experience in interpretation are necessary for microscopy based diagnosis by staff in the clinic to be of greatest value. Direct microscopy was particularly useful for detecting fungi.

Incidence and risk factors for microbial keratitis in Hong Kong: comparison with Europe and North America

“…This compares favorably with equatorial tropical climates when the ratio can reach 1 for 1. 6,7 The probable explanation for this result lies in the urbanization of Kowloon and the adjacent New Territory of Shatin in which the study was conducted. In contrast to rural surroundings, it is a modern development of concrete construction, which does not produce a high airborne count of fungal spores, grown from vegetable matter, that can infect a compromised eye.…”

“…This is typical of a tropical climate but very different to that of a temperate one. 2,7,8,12 Patients with presumed MK, returning from a hot tropical climate to a temperate one, should always be treated for a possible Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection before culture results are known, as it is the commonest expected bacterium. Fungal infection occurred less commonly than expected, with one fungal case for every 17 bacterial cases.…”

“…Fungi are important in the tropical regions, such as South India and Ghana. 6,7 Acanthamoeba has been identified among CL related infections in many parts of the world. 8 There is little information on MK and/or CL-related infections in Asia, although the number of CL wearers is expected to increase rapidly, particularly among the young.…”

Fungal infections of the cornea

“…[6][7][8][9] Less frequent predisposing factors include immunological incompetence, prior administration of corticosteroids or antibacterial agents, 'allergic conjunctivitis', and the use of hydrophilic contact lenses. 5,[10][11][12] It is not known whether the use of traditional eye medicines specifically predisposes to filamentous fungal keratitis. 1 Conversely, in keratitis due to Candida albicans and related fungi, there is usually some pre-existing ocular (eg insufficient tear secretion, defective eyelid closure) or systemic (eg diabetes mellitus, immunosuppression) condition; this type of keratitis may also supervene on a pre-existing epithelial defect because of herpes keratitis or abrasions caused by contaminated contact lenses.…”

Queratitis por Lasiodiplodia theobromae: comunicación de un caso y revisión de la literatura

“…Sin embargo, L. theobromae sigue siendo una causa excepcional de queratitis micótica con menos de 50 casos publicados en el mundo. En la Tabla 1 se presentan los casos de queratitis humana causada por L. theobromae reportados en la literatura médica [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] .…”