Photodynamic therapy shows promise in combating fungal eye infections

Combining traditional antifungal treatment with novel photodynamic antimicrobial therapies (PDATs) shows promise in treating fungal keratitis, but the effectiveness varies depending on the fungal strain, according to a poster presented at the 2024 Women in Ophthalmology Summer Symposium.

In the study, researchers investigated the combined antifungal activity of voriconazole and photodynamic antimicrobial therapy (PDAT) using Erythrosin B (EB), Eosin Y (EY), and Rose Bengal (RB) against clinical strains of Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus glaucus, and Fusarium oxysporum. The study used a quad plate method to prepare varying concentrations of voriconazole, and tested the effects of these combinations with and without light activation using a green LED array.

Fusarium oxysporum showed significant growth inhibition when treated with all 3 PDATs combined with light and voriconazole, with the most pronounced effect seen in the RB-PDAT combination. Aspergillus glaucus also responded well to the RB-PDAT combination, though it showed less sensitivity to the other PDATs. In contrast, Aspergillus fumigatus exhibited the greatest growth inhibition with voriconazole alone, indicating a strain-dependent response to these treatments.

Reference
Krishna K, et al. Exploring the combination of photodynamic antimicrobial therapy and voriconazole to treat fungal keratitis. Poster presented at: WIO 2024.