Influence of corticosteroid on experimentally induced keratomycosis
D. M. O'Day, W. A. Ray, W. S. Head, R. D. Robinson and T. E. Williams
Department of Ophthalmology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-2540.
To assess the effect of corticosteroid on the establishment of
experimentally induced keratomycoses, rabbits were injected
subconjunctivally with triamcinolone acetonide on two successive days
before inoculation with Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, or
Fusarium solanae. Whereas isolate recovery rates declined steadily in
normal control corneas, they remained stable over 15 days in
corticosteroid-treated corneas. Clinically, inflammation was equivalent (A
fumigatus and F solanae) or significantly less (C albicans; P = .001) until
the 10th day. At 15 days, inflammation in corticosteroid-treated corneas
was significantly worse in animals infected with A fumigatus (P = .003) or
F solanae (P = .02). Inflammatory signs correlated inconsistently with
isolate recovery. Pathogenicity of the infecting organism appears to be
important in determining the degree to which corticosteroid is able to mask
clinical signs of infection while enhancing fungal replication.
