Keratitis by Paecilomyces lilacinus: A case report from Sub-Himalayan region

Paecilomyces lilacinus is a filamentous fungus found in soil and air, which is a rare cause of ocular infection. The majority of case reports involving P. lilacinus among healthy hosts are of endophthalmitis and keratitis. We report a rare case of keratomycosis by P. lilacinus, in an immunocompetent, which responded well to treatment with ketoconazole. Some species belonging to the genus Paecilomyces such as P. lilacinus generally shows a poor response to conventional antifungal drugs. Therefore, correct identification of clinical isolates to the species level is mandatory for the appropriate treatment of the disease.