A lab technician at the Center for Disease Control making notations on a Petri plate from a group of culture plates, which had grown Fusarium fungal colonies. These organisms were received from an outbreak in patients with ocular keratitis. The mould was isolated using Potato Dextrose Agar, which had been incubated at 26oC for 5 - 7 days. This isolate was identified as a mould from the Fusarium oxysporum species complex. Keratitis is an inflammation of the cornea, the front part of the eye, and has many causes including bacteria, viruses and fungi. Note the two contact lenses on the surface of the agar medium. While Fusarium keratitis can be a serious infection, it is a rare disease. This infection cannot be transmitted from person to person. People who have trauma to the eye, certain eye diseases and problems with their immune system may be at increased risk for these types of infection.While it is not unusual for the Fusarium fungal organism to cause keratitis, it was the number of affected individuals, which had increased dramatically, predominantly in persons wearing contact lenses, that had warranted this epidemiologic study. The laboratory received cultures which came from two sources: Fusarium species isolated from the eye of patients with fungal keratitis, and cultures from contact lenses, cases and/or lens solution. The mould seen in the Petri dish grew from a pair of contact lenses (still visible on the plate) that were placed directly onto the agar surface.
