Infectious endotheliitis: a rare case of presumed mycotic origin

• Main Authors: Zapata LF, Paulo JD, Restrepo CA, Velásquez LF, Toro Montoya AE, Zapata MA
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2013-07-01
• Series: Clinical Ophthalmology
• Online Access: http://www.dovepress.com/infectious-endotheliitis-a-rare-case-of-presumed-mycotic-origin-a13697
• ISSN: 1177-5467; 1177-5483

Luis Fernando Zapata,1 José David Paulo,1 Carlos A Restrepo,1 Luis Fernando Velásquez,2 Andrés E Toro Montoya,2 Melissa A Zapata21Department of Ophthalmology Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe; 2School of Medicine, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, ColombiaPurpose: To report an interesting case of infectious endotheliitis of presumed mycotic origin.Methods: A case report of a 56-year-old male farmer who sought medical attention after a month-long evolution of irritative symptoms in his right eye, accompanied by visual acuity (VA) impairment. The patient received topical and oral broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment with no improvement before being referred to a cornea specialist, where he was found to have VA of 20/150 and was noted on biomicroscopy to have endothelial feathery coalescent lesions. The patient was admitted to the hospital for an aqueous humor sample and intravenous voriconazole.Results: The microbiological studies did not isolate any micro-organisms. However, clinical evidence of improvement was confirmed after 5 days of antimycotic intravenous therapy. Complete clinical resolution was achieved at 1 month after treatment completion with oral voriconazole, as evidenced by VA of 20/20 and disappearance of endothelial lesions.Conclusion: Endothelial involvement by fungi is a rare condition. In this case, no microbes were isolated, but the characteristic morphology of the lesions, the history of onychomycosis, and the spectacular response to voriconazole turn this case into a valid presumptive diagnosis.Keywords: endotheliitis, mycotic, keratitis, voriconazole