Exophiala jeanselmei: A potential ocular pathogen

Abstract

A 31-year-old man presented at an optometric clinic because of reduced vision and loss of lens quality. There was mild limbal injection and staining in both eyes. The soil fungus Exophiala jeanselmei as well as Serratia marcescens, Klebsiella aerogenes, Escherichia coli and Alcaligenes xylosoxidans were cultured from the contact lenses and the storage case fluid. E. jeanselmei is recognised as an opportunistic fungal pathogen and is known in one instance to have infected the cornea. Discernible invasion or infiltration of the cornea may not have occurred in this instance owing to the physiological status of the wearer. Intermittent short-term lens wear may have reduced the likelihood of hypoxia and corneal oedema.