Clinical characteristics of keratitis due to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.

Purpose: To determine the characteristics of the keratitis due to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.

Methods: The medical records of 3 cases of fungal keratitis caused by C. gloeosporioides were reviewed to determine the clinical characteristics. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of different antifungal drugs for all 3 isolates were determined. All 3 isolates were grown on Sabouraud dextrose agar at 25°C, 35°C, and 37°C to determine the temperature-sensitive growth.

Results: All 3 patients lived in the southwestern part of Japan and had an ocular trauma involving organic materials. The infectious foci were localized in the anterior stroma, and they did not extend deep into the stroma in all cases. The keratitis was treated with antifungal medications including topical voriconazole and natamycin eye ointment, and was resolved in 2-3 weeks. All of the isolated strains grew well at 25°C but poorly at 35°C and 37°C. All isolated strains had similar drug-sensitivity profiles; they were sensitive to amphotericin B, itraconazole, miconazole, micafungin, and voriconazole, and relatively resistant to flucytosine, fluconazole, and natamycin.

Conclusions: All 3 cases of C. gloeosporioides keratitis had similar clinical features. The similarities in the drug-sensitivity profiles should be helpful in treating C. gloeosporioides keratitis.