Topical ketoconazole for experimental Candida keratitis in rabbits.

Topical ketoconazole (2% ointment three times per day for three weeks) markedly reduced the severity of keratitis produced with Candida albicans inoculation in the right eyes of 20 rabbits. Clinical scores of affected eyes were significantly lower in the treated eyes than in the controls, which consisted of the 20 inoculated but untreated left eyes of the same rabbits. All cultures of corneal scrapings from the treated eyes were negative on the 12th day after inoculation, while two cultures were still positive at the end of the experiment (day 21) in the control eyes. Histopathologic examination showed less severe inflammatory changes in the treated eyes than in the control eyes.