More than tears in your eyes (Exophiala jeanselmei keratitis)

Abstract

Purpose: To describe a patient with Exophiala jeanselmei keratitis. METHODS.

Case report: One patient with persistent corneal infiltrate that developed several days after a minor ocular trauma from an onion slice.

Results: Culture plates from corneal scraping showed a growth of the yeast Exophiala jeanselmei, a rare causative agent of ocular infection.

Conclusions: Whenever a corneal abscess does not improve with the usual antibiotic treatment, a thorough ophthalmic history should be taken to determine whether there was a recent ocular trauma. If the trauma was caused by a plant material, the physician should raise the possibility of an unusual fungal infection.