ABSTRACT-A prospective case study of patients presenting with clinically suspected keratitis was conducted at Al-Rehma Hospital, Sirte, Libya between January 2008 and November 2010. A total of 32.9% patients were identified with fungal keratitis, Aspergillus and Fusarium together accounted for 89.28% of cases. Males had higher predisposition as compared with females. Trauma (78.5%) was the major cause, vegetative injury alone constituting 60.7% of cases. Other most common identifiable risk factors were history of diabetes mellitus (17.8%), contact lens (21.4%) and corticosteroids (3.57%). Fungal keratitis still possesses a significant threat for increased ocular morbidity. The overall knowledge of fungal keratitis with its clinical determinants and risk factors, would aid in general awareness and prevention of complications associated with it.

Vertebral osteomyelitis is an uncommon variant of osteomyelitis. Although Staphylococcus and/or Streptococcus are commonly associated, alternate pathogens have been implicated in vertebral osteomyelitis, especially in endemic areas and/or immunocompromised patients. Here, we present a case of a young African American female with type I diabetes mellitus who presented to us with worsening back pain. The MRI lumbar spine was suggestive of vertebral osteomyelitis involving the right facet joint of the fifth lumbar (L5) and the first spinal (S1) joint and a significant narrowing of the thecal sac at the L4-L5 vertebral level with an anterior epidural abscess. The patient was started on empirical antibiotics, and surgical intervention was performed with L4-L5 laminectomy and extraction of the epidural abscess. Her pus culture showed Eikenella corrodens as a possible cause of vertebral osteomyelitis. She had an uneventful recovery after two weeks of antibiotics (intravenous ceftriaxone) therapy.

We report a case of chronic herpes simplex in a 27 year old lady presenting with a history of persistent verrucous ulcer in the natal cleft of nine months duration. The patient was diagnosed and treated initially as a case of Tuberculosis Verrucosa Cutis (TVC) based on the chronicity of the ulcer, negative HIV serological tests and histopathological findings. The diagnosis had to be revised as the lesion was increasing in size and the patient was not responding to treatment even after completing antituberculous treatment for six months. Repeat histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry showed DNA of herpes simplex. Based on this finding a repeat HIV serology was sent which was positive. The ulcer healed after a course of acyclovir. The case is being reported to highlight the importance of considering chronic herpes simplex infection in a case of chronic genital ulcer. In addition this case reminds us the nature of HIV infection to mislead the diagnosis by altering the natural course of the disease process.