Indolent keratitis due to fungus of Malbranchea species. A case report

INTRODUCTION: Keratitis caused by saprophytic fungi is on the rise in rural areas, often caused by ocular trauma with wooden objects. Early detection of causative organisms and sustained, supervised management can prevent visual disabilities. CASE PRESENTATION: A middle-aged patient from a rural, semi-arid region who presented with pain, redness, and a foreign-body sensation in his left eye resulting from a corneal ulcer induced by trauma from a wooden stick. Due to a history of uncontrolled diabetes and progression of his corneal lesions, he was admitted to our institution for treatment of infectious keratitis. Microbiological examination of corneal scrapings revealed thin, septate hyaline hyphae without conidia or conidiophores, and the patient was diagnosed with a fungal keratitis caused by a Malbranchea species. Though the patient initially responded to treatment with topical natamycin, his condition worsened. He was subsequently successfully treated with topical amphotericin B (1 mg/mL) twice hourly and systemic antifungals. Four months after discharge, the patient returned with symptom recurrence. CONCLUSION: We report the case of a patient with a Malbranchea species causing a rare and recurrent fungal keratitis with corneal infiltrates, subsequently cured by medical management with salvaging of his vision. In patients with a suspected fungal keratitis, early treatment is crucial and should be combined with tight glycemic control for as long as 6 months after presentation to avoid recurrence.