Trichosporon Endophthalmitis Following Cataract Surgery: A Case Report

Fungal infections always pose a predicament to management and prognosis. The saprophytic fungus, Trichosporon inkin commonly causes endogenous infection in immunocompromised individuals. We report a case of exogenous T. inkin endophthalmitis successfully treated with voriconazole, pars plana vitrectomy, and removal of the source of infection. A 51-year-old gentleman with suboptimal control of diabetes presented with a right painful red eye for a week after undergoing an uneventful phacoemulsification with a posterior chamber intraocular lens implant more than a month prior. He presented with intense inflammation in the right anterior chamber that did not respond to steroid challenge. Ultrasound B scan showed vitreous opacities with no loculations. The culture of vitreous humor was negative. Systemic investigations were also normal. Despite being given multiple intravitreal antibiotics, his right eye got worse. He then underwent vitrectomy and intraocular lens explantation, in which the culture of the lens grew Trichosporon Inkin. He was subsequently started on the appropriate antifungals (topical, intravitreal, and systemic) based on the minimum inhibitory concentration of the antifungal sensitivity test. The patient eventually showed significant clinical improvement, and intraocular inflammation was subsiding after six months of treatment. His best corrected visual acuity improved to 6/12 with Snellen’s visual acuity chart.