title: Keratomycosis in and around Chandigarh: a five-year study from a north Indian tertiary care hospital.
abstract: To find out the prevalence and epidemiological features of keratomycosis in Chandigarh, the present study was carried out jointly by the Departments of Microbiology and Ophthalmology, Government Medical College Hospital, Chandigarh, over a period of 5 years from January 1999 to December 2003. Corneal scrapings were collected from a total of 154 suspected patients of keratomycosis and were processed and identified by standard laboratory techniques. The study revealed that a total of 64 cases (41.55%) were positive for fungal agents. Direct microscopy was positive in 52 cases (76.47%) and culture in 34 cases (53.12%). Most common fungal isolates were Aspergillus species 14 (41.18%), Fusarium species 8 (23.53%), Candida species 3 (8.82%), Curvularia species 2 (5.88%) and Bipolaris species 2 (5.88%). Thus, hyaline filamentous fungi were the most common etiological agents and mechanical trauma with vegetative matter was the most common predisposing factor. Males in age group of 21-50 years were more commonly affected.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, India. jchander@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Jagdish
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chander
authors.forename: Nidhi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singla
authors.forename: Nalini
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Agnihotri
authors.forename: Sudesh Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Arya
authors.forename: Antariksh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deep
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002175:Candida / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003320:Corneal Ulcer / Q000382:microbiology; D015821:Eye Infections, Fungal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005670:Fusarium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007634:Keratitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged