Mycotic corneal ulcer in Bangladesh
Gomes, D.J.; Huq, F.; Sharif, A.
Bangladesh Medical Research Council Bulletin 14(2): 49-57
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0377-9238 PMID: 3250456 Document Number: 308604
Corneal scrapings from 125 patients were examined for the presence of fungi. Culturally, 37.6% yielded fungi belonging to 10 different genera. Aspergillus (A. fumigatus and A. flavus) was the most common fungus (18.4%) followed by Candida albicans and Cladosporium cladosporioides. Other genera found infrequently were Absidia, Botryodiplodia, Chaetomium, Curvularia, Fusarium, Mucor and Penicillium. There was variation in the prevalence of fungi with respect to the age, occupation, season and the surroundings of the patients. No such relationship was found with the sex of the patients. Ocular trauma, mainly due to farm injury, was the paramount predisposing factor of corneal ulcer (57.6%) as well as the positive mycotic cases (30.4%). Amphotericin B was more effective than nystatin against most of the fungal isolates from corneal ulcers.