Fungal flora from diabetic and non-diabetic human donor corneas

Corneal tissue obtained at the Maryland Medical Examiners' Laboratory (Baltimore) from 47 cadaver donors was examined for the presence of potentially pathogenic fungi. Fifty-five percent of the donor corneas were positive for fungi consisting predominantly of Cladosporium spp. (11 isolates), Penicillium spp. (nine isolates), Rhodotorula spp. (six isolates), and Candida parapsilosis (four isolates). Exophiala jeanselmei (two isolates) and Wangiella dermatitidis were cultured from apparently healthy, normal corneas. Fifty-four percent of the fungi isolated from diabetic corneas were yeasts, as compared to 35% from the nondiabetic corneas. These fungi represent either normal fungal flora or opportunistic fungal pathogens, with the possible exceptions of E. jeanselmei and W. dermatitidis.