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Klin Monbl Augenheilkd 2023; 240(04): 387-390
DOI: 10.1055/a-2013-2600
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Microsporidial Stromal Keratitis: A Rare Entity in Central Europe

Stromale Mikrosporidien-Keratitis: eine seltene Entität in Mitteleuropa
Sadiq Said
Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
,
Daniel Rudolf Muth
Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
,
Daniel Barthelmes
Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
,
Timothy Hamann
Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
,
Anahita Bajka
Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
,
Maximilian Robert Justus Wiest
Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
,
Sandrine Zweifel
Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
,
Frank Blaser
Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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Background

Recent data analyses account for corneal opacities as the fifth leading cause of blindness worldwide [1], with infectious keratitis being the most common condition [2], [3]. Microsporidia are obligate intracellular, spore-forming fungi that may cause such infectious keratitis. Their ubiquitous presence in the environment leads to frequent human exposure [4], although the exact pathogenesis of keratitis remains unclear. Direct inoculation with contaminated water, food, soil, and ocular trauma has been postulated [5], [6]. There are two different corneal manifestations of microsporidial keratitis: multifocal epithelial keratitis, which mainly affects immunosuppressed patients as in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and stromal keratitis, largely seen among immunocompetent individuals [7]. The disease entity is endemic in Asian countries and has rarely been reported in Europe [8]. We describe a case of histopathologically confirmed stromal microsporidial keratitis diagnosed at a tertiary care hospital in Switzerland.



Publication History

Received: 16 October 2022

Accepted: 09 January 2023

Article published online:
25 April 2023

© 2023. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

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