Fungal keratitis caused by a rare pathogen, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, in an east coast city of China.

Background: To report a case of fungal keratitis caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides in an east coast city of China, which are rare pathogens that cause fungal keratitis in humans.
Methods: A 52-year-old man whose right eye was injured by a branch of an apple tree during farm work was referred to our Hospital. He was examined by Slit-lamp and the HRT II-RCM confocal scanning microscope, thus suggesting filamentous. Orneal scrapings were acquired and then inoculated into Sabouraud medium incubated at 28°C and 37°C. In vitro antifungal susceptibility tests were performed following the CLSI M38-A2 for Filamentous Fungi. Surgical intervention was advised because the abscess in the anterior chamber of the right eye was not completely absorbed.
Results: The Colletotrichum gloeosporioides isolate was identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and the BLAST after DNA sequencing of the amplified internal transcribed spacer (ITS) in rRNA. The patient's eye condition is under control and the patient's vision remains at the level of light perception (LP).
Conclusions: We report the rare keratitis caused by C. gloeosporioides in eastern China, which has not been published. Suddenly ocular trauma and old surgical intervention may be the risk factors associated with Colletotrichum keratitis.
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