Recurrent Fusarium keratomycosis: a light and electron microscopic study.
Corneal buttons infected with Fusarium solani, were removed during penetrating keratoplasty, and studied by light and electron microscopy. Histologically, it appeared that the hyphae penetrated Descement 's membrane and the posterior stroma from the anterior chamber. Their cell wall, plasmalemma, and cytoplasm were preserved indicating that the fungi might be still active despite antifungal therapy, which may not be effective once the fungus penetrates Descemet's membrane. The other interesting feature was the total lack of phagocytic activity of macrophages on adjacent fungal hyphae indicating possible suppression of host defense responses in this cornea. Patients with fungal keratitis should be treated with antifungal drugs at an early stage, and therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty appears to be most effective, if performed before the fungus penetrates the barrier of Descemet's membrane.
D003315:Cornea / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D016039:Corneal Transplantation; D005670:Fusarium / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D009181:Mycoses / Q000473:pathology*; D012008:Recurrence