When moulds destroy eyes
Results of a study about Fusarium keratitis cases in Germany now published
22.08.2017

Fungal keratitis caused by the mould Fusarium is a particularly severe form of corneal inflammation which is difficult to treat, despite being relatively common in tropical and subtropical areas. At the National Reference Centre for Invasive Fungal Infections (NRZMyk), which collaborates closely with ZIK Septomics, numerous cases of Fusarium keratitis have been observed in Germany since 2014. A study of 22 such cases revealed that these patients had no underlying disease and instead, their eye infections correlated with the use of soft contact lenses. Therefore, the researchers recommend that all wearers of soft contact lenses adhere to the hygienic guidelines suggested by their ophthalmologist. The results of this study were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. To improve the databank for further systematic investigations of Fusarium keratitis, Prof. Kurzai, head of the research group Fungal Septomics and head of NRZMyk, urges all ophthalmologists to report suspected cases to the National Register for Fungal Keratitis. The register was founded by the NRZMyk and the eye clinic of the University Hospital Düsseldorf in 2016.
The results of this study were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology:
Fusarium Keratitis in Germany. Walther G, Stasch S, Kaerger K, Hamprecht A, Roth M, Cornely OA, Geerling G, Mackenzie CR, Kurzai O, von Lilienfeld-Toal M.
J Clin Microbiol. 2017 Jul 26. pii: JCM.00649-17. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00649-17. Epub ahead of print, PMID: 28747368