Ophthalmic infections caused by Aspergillus nidulans: A case series and short review of literature

Prachala  G. Rathod; Atul   Kumar; Radhika   Tandon; Nishat  H. Ahmed

doi:10.18502/cmm.7.4.8411

Prachala G. Rathod Microbiology Department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Atul Kumar Ophthalmology Department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Radhika Tandon Ophthalmology Department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Nishat H. Ahmed Microbiology Department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/cmm.7.4.8411

Keywords: Antifungal susceptibility Aspergillus nidulans Ophthalmic infections

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Although Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus flavus are more commonly implicated with ocular infections; there are some saprophytic species, such as Aspergillus nidulans (A. nidulans) which may occasionally lead to serious ocular infections. There is a paucity of data on ocular infections caused by A. nidulans. We report a case series of three ophthalmic infections caused by A. nidulans from a tertiary care eye center in North India.

Case report: Three cases of ophthalmic infections, including two cases of keratitis and one case of recurrent endophthalmitis caused by A. nidulans were diagnosed at the ocular microbiology section of a tertiary eye care center. One case of keratitis had a history of ophthalmic surgery and underlying diabetes mellitus. The case of recurrent endophthalmitis had undergone cataract surgery in the recent past. Diminution of vision was the most common presenting feature in all three cases. The microbiological diagnosis was made by conventional microscopy and culture techniques.

Conclusion: This case series illustrates the potential of uncommon fungal pathogens, such as A. nidulans to cause devastating ocular infections and has an emphasis on the importance of timely microbiological diagnosis in the management of such cases.