Clinical features, microbiological characteristics, and treatment outcomes of fungal keratitis in a tertiary referral hospital in Eastern China

A total of 174 patients were diagnosed with FK. Seven fungal species were identified in 104 culture-positive cases. Fusarium was the most common species (49.04%), followed by Alternaria (23.08%) and Aspergillus (15.38%). 166 (95.4%) patients showed evidence of mycelia or spores in IVCM images. Diverse fungal strains typically showed varied culture characteristics and IVCM expressions. 42 (24.14%) patients were successfully treated with topical medicine alone, and 132 (75.86%) patients needed additional surgical therapies, including intrastromal injections of voriconazole (38.51%), conjunctival pedicle flap surgery (8.05%), lamellar keratoplasty (22.41%), penetrating keratoplasty (4.02%), and enucleation (2.87%). Visual acuity improved in 104 patients (59.77%), but remained unchanged in 36 (20.69%) patients and decreased in 34 patients (19.54%) following active treatment. CONCLUSIONS FUSARIUM: was the most frequently isolated species, followed by Alternaria and Aspergillus.