A case of keratitis caused by Scedosporium apiospermum

Dematiaceous fungi have been reported among the common etiologic agents of keratitis. We herein report a case ofkeratitis due to Scedosporium apiospermum identified by conventional methods and confirmed by molecular methods.A 68-year-old male who attended the Ophthalmology Clinic at Istanbul University, Faculty of Medicine Hospital, presentedwith pain, lacrimation and a ‘foreign body’ sensation in the left eye with six weeks duration. The samples whichwere taken from corneal tissue, contact lens and anterior chamber were inoculated on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA)and brain heart infusion (BHI) agar. On the third day of incubation, a phaeoid mold was observed on the plate which wasinoculated with corneal tissue sample at 27°C. The strain was identified as Scedosporium spp with conventional methodsand confirmed as S. apiospermum by a molecular method. Infection was successfully treated with voriconazole eyedrop(1%) after pre-diagnosis. Molecular diagnostic methods may be applied for the definitive diagnosis of the pathogen offungal keratitis and the selection of the appropriate antifungal agent. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2013; 3(1): 45-48Key words: Scedosporium apiospermum, fungal keratitis, phaeoid mold.