Microbiologic profile of the mycosic absess on a reference center in Tunisia

Given the increase in cases of fungal keratitis in recent years due to the inadvertent use of large -spectrum antibiotics and corticosteroids on the one hand and the emergence of contactology on the other hand, this study has was carried out in order to better understand the microbiological profile of fungal keratitis, particularly as a function of risk factors in a referral center in Tunisia.

We report a retrospective study of 43 patients (45eyes) hospitalized for fungal corneal abscess between January 2007 and December 2017. All patients benefited from corneal sampling by scraping the cornea with direct examination and culture.

During the study period, 482 patients with corneal abscess were treated at the Ophthalmology Department of the Hédi Raies A Institute in Tunis. 45 eyes of 43 consecutive patients had keratomycosis (9.3%). The direct examination was positive in 71.1% of the cases and the culture in 73.3%. In 78.8% of the cases filaments were isolated: the fusarium being the most found species is in 39.4% of the patients particulary in cases of ocular trauma. Yeast species were more frequently found in surface pathology or local or general deficency.

It is important to guide the microbiological diagnosis of mycotic keratitis according to the clinical context, particularly in the case of negativity of the samples in order to establish a suitable treatment to improve the prognosis of this pathology, which represents one of the most difficult forms of infectious  keratitis to manage.