Successful Management of Pythium insidiosum Keratitis Masquerading as Dematiaceous Fungal Keratitis in an Immunosuppressed Asian Male

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To describe the first case of Pythium insidiosum keratitis masquerading as dematiaceous fungal keratitis in a seropositive male.

Case summary

A 44-year-old seropositive male previously treated for acute retinal necrosis presented with pain and defective vision in the right eye following a mud injury 5 days back. Presenting visual acuity was hand movements close to the face. Ocular examination revealed a 7 × 7 mm dense, greyish-white mid stromal infiltrate with pigmentation and few tentacles. The clinical diagnosis suggested fungal keratitis. Corneal scraping on 10% KOH and Gram stain revealed slender, aseptate hyaline hyphae. Before culture results, the patient was treated with topical 5% natamycin and 1% voriconazole, but the infiltrate progressed. Culture on 5% sheep blood agar revealed white fluffy, submerged, shiny, and appressed colonies, and Pythium insidiosum was confirmed by zoospore formation. The patient was further managed with topical linezolid 0.2% hourly, azithromycin 1% hourly, and adjuvant drugs.

Conclusion

This is an uncommon presentation of Pythium keratitis masquerading as dematiaceous fungal keratitis in an immunocompromised male.

KEYWORDS:

• Asian
• fungal keratitis
• immunocompromised
• pythium insidiosum
• seropositive

Acknowledgments

Aravind Eye Hospital and Post Graduate Institute of Ophthalmology, Pondicherry.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09273948.2023.2179495

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.