A Rare Case Report of Pythium Insidiosum Keratitis in an Immunocompetent Patient

Abstract

Corneal ulcers are one of the major causes of monocular blindness after cataracts in developing nations and have a varied aetiology. One of the emerging causes of corneal ulcers closely resembling fungi in its morphology is the Pythium insidiosum which is known to infect a variety of animals, but in humans, only a few cases have been reported causing ocular, cutaneous/subcutaneous, vascular, and disseminated infections. This was a case of a 29-year-old male, non agriculturist by occupation who presented to the Ophthalmology Outpatient Department with a history of diminution of vision, redness and watering of the left eye in the last 5 days. On further investigations, he was diagnosed to have a corneal ulcer with P.insidiosum being the aetiological agent. The patient was managed surgically by penetrating keratoplasty and medically by combination therapy consisting of moxifloxacin eyedrops every 4th hour, voriconazole eye drops 2 hourly, natamycin eye drops 2nd hourly, oral fluconazole 150 mg thrice daily for 1 week.