title: Alternaria keratitis after deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty.
abstract: To describe a case of Alternaria keratitis in a 30-year-old male patient who presented with bilateral vascularised central corneal opacity and underwent deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) in the left eye. Patient was treated for recurrent epithelial defect with a bandage contact lens in the follow-up visits after DALK. Subsequently, patient presented with pigmented fungal keratitis, which on culture examination of the corneal scrapping demonstrated Alternaria species. Patient had to undergo a repeat DALK as the keratitis did not resolve with medical therapy alone. Patient did not have a recurrence for 11 months following the regraft. This case report highlights the importance of considering the Alternaria species as a possibile cause of non-resolving fungal keratitis after DALK.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cornea, Lotus Eye Care Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Mekhla
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naik
authors.affiliation: Department of Cornea, Lotus Eye Care Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.lastname: Mohd Shahbaaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Cornea, Lotus Eye Care Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sheth
authors.affiliation: Department of Cornea, Lotus Eye Care Hospital, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sunderamoorthy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000528:Alternaria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D060487:Alternariosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016039:Corneal Transplantation; D003320:Corneal Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D015821:Eye Infections, Fungal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents
keywords: Alternaria; Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty; Fungal Keratitis