Treatment of Aspergillus fumigatus keratitis in rabbits with oral and topical ketoconazole.

Aspergillus fumigatus keratitis was established in rabbits by intrastromal injection of a suspension containing 5,000 spores. After a 48-hour incubation period, the animals were treated with oral and topical ketoconazole alone and in combination with topical natamycin for five days. Colony counts per cornea were obtained at the conclusion of the treatment period. Based on these colony counts, neither oral nor topical ketoconazole was effective despite moderate in vitro sensitivity of the fungus to ketoconazole. Oral and topical ketoconazole used in conjunction with natamycin, however, appeared to augment sterilization of A. fumigatus in this model of fungal keratitis.