Beauveria Keratitis and Biopesticides: Case Histories and a Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA Comparison

Abstract

Although earlier reported Beauveria keratitis cases occurred after corneal injury in patients who did not wear contact lenses, 3 recent patients wore soft contact lenses and denied trauma, mirroring a changing trend in microbial keratitis. RAPD analysis showed that the Beauveria isolates were unrelated to one another and to Beauveria-based biopesticides. In Patient 2, oral voriconazole worked well.

Beauveria bassiana keratitis in bullous keratopathy: antifungal sensitivity testing and management

“…Given the case of our patient, we suggest that an edematous cornea with epithelial bullae and erosions as found in bullous keratopathy may enhance stromal invasion by fungal cells. It has been suggested in previous work that trauma, contact with plants or soil, and contact lens use may play a role as risk factors (2,(6)(7)(8). Although our patient denied any previous trauma, residency in rural areas may increase the likelihood of such exposures.…”

“…Our patient was 79 years old and had been diabetic for 20 years. Diabetes mellitus is often cited among systemic risk factors for fungal disease (7,9). Older age may also increase the likelihood of fungal infection, but confounding variables surely play a role as the other risk factors also increase with age.…”

Occupational exposure to microorganisms used as biocontrol agents in plant production

“…The pathogenic nature of the fungus is as yet poorly investigated. Though several earlier studies have described B. bassiana as the causal agent of keratitis (108,110,113,129), B. bassiana was reported to have a very weak pathogenicity in the cornea (130). Comparisons of B. bassiana DNA isolated from five patients with keratitis and B. bassiana from two MPCPs show that isolates were not identical and thus the keratitis was not caused by isolates from MPCPs (129).…”

A universal DNA extraction and PCR amplification method for fungal rDNA sequence‐based identification

“…Finally, sequence‐based identification of fungi is becoming a common and frequent identification tool in mycology laboratories. We have had great success using this strategy for identifying fungi from a variety of sources including human and animal clinical isolates, environmental isolates from soil and water and even isolates from food . As sequencing becomes more common as an identification tool, eventually there will be a need for standardisation, with the first step being preparing template DNA.…”

“…We have had great success using this strategy for identifying fungi from a variety of sources including human and animal clinical isolates, environmental isolates from soil and water and even isolates from food. 27,[41][42][43][44][45] As sequencing becomes more common as an identification tool, eventually there will be a need for standardisation, with the first step being preparing template DNA. The approach described in this study is a good starting point due to ease of use, cost and applicability.…”