Dematiaceous fungal keratitis: prevalence, spectrum, clinical features, outcome, and antifungal susceptibility from a tertiary care centre in North India.

Dematiaceous fungal keratitis accounts for 3.88% of fungal keratitis cases in North India, with Curvularia spp. being the most prevalent causative agent.

• Why it matters: Fungal keratitis can cause severe vision loss, yet the specific prevalence, species distribution, and antifungal susceptibility patterns of dematiaceous fungi remain underexplored, hindering effective treatment.
• What they did: A prospective study analyzed 452 confirmed fungal keratitis cases from 1931 suspected patients, identifying species via microscopy, culture, DNA sequencing, and testing antifungal susceptibility for nine drugs.
• The result: Findings reveal low MICs for voriconazole, luliconazole, and terbinafine, suggesting their effectiveness, and highlight the importance of distinguishing fungal types to optimize management and improve healing outcomes.