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ARTICLE |
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Year : 1958 | Volume
: 6
| Issue : 2 | Page : 39-40 |
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Rhinosporidiosis of the palpebral conjunctiva
M Sengupta, BK Mitra, PK Sarkar
Department of Ophtnalmology, The Eye Infirmary, Medical College. Calcutta, India
Date of Web Publication | 8-May-2008 |
Correspondence Address: M Sengupta Department of Ophtnalmology, The Eye Infirmary, Medical College. Calcutta India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |

How to cite this article: Sengupta M, Mitra B K, Sarkar P K. Rhinosporidiosis of the palpebral conjunctiva. Indian J Ophthalmol 1958;6:39-40 |
How to cite this URL: Sengupta M, Mitra B K, Sarkar P K. Rhinosporidiosis of the palpebral conjunctiva. Indian J Ophthalmol [serial online] 1958 [cited 2021 Mar 9];6:39-40. Available from: https://www.ijo.in/text.asp?1958/6/2/39/40721 |
Fungus infection of the eye by the spores of rhinosporidium is rare. Number of cases so far reported will not exceed 200 (Duke-Elder 1943, 1952; Sorsby 1951). Most of the cases have been reported from India, and the rest from Ceylon, South Africa and North America.
Ocular lesions commonly occur on the conjunctiva of the eye (Elliot and Ingram 1912, Kirkpatrick 1916, Wright 1922, Duggan 1928, Kurup 1931, Rao 1931), but the lacrimal sac (Karunaratne 1936, Rambo 1949) and the skin of the lid may also be affected.
Conjunctival lesions appear as polypoid masses of granulation tissue which may have creamy coloured discharge from the surface. Microscopically the polypoid mass shows sub-epithelial fibrocellular granulation tissue containing cysts of various sizes. The cysts are lined by a lining membrane. The sporangium contains the fungus spores - the morulae. The cyst wall sometimes bursts discharging the spores either into the surrounding granulation tissues or onto the surface.
The following 2 cases are reported to show the localised infection of the conjunctiva by the fungus rhinosporidium :
Case Reports | |  |
Case I.
R.S. , male aged 58, came to the outpatients' department of the Eye Infirmary on March 1 st , '57 with the history of a small growth appearing on the inner surface of the upper lid margin of the left eye about 5 months back. On examination, small polypoid mass of the size of ¼x¼x1/6" was seen on the upper palpebral conjunctiva near the lid margin at about its middle.
There was no discharge or bleeding from the surface of the growth. Rest of the conjunctiva, the lids and the lacrimal sac were normal. No other source of infection was seen. Histological section of the polypoid mass shows sub- epithelial granulation tissue containing several cysts of rhinosporidium in different stages of development. (Case 1, [Figure - 1]). Conjunctival epithelium was hyperlastic in several places.
Case 2.
N. M., male, aged 28 years, came to the outpatients' department of the Eye Infirmary on November 11th, '57 with a history of a small growth appearing on the inner surface of the lower lid near the fonix about 1½ years back. On examination, a small growth of the size of ½"x¼'' x¼" was seen arising from the palpebral conjunctiva of the lower lid near the fornix. There was no discharge or bleeding from the surface of the mass. Rest of the lid and lacrymal sac were normal. No other source of infection was detected. On histological examination the polypoid mass shows sub-epithelial granulation tissue containing several cysts of rhinosporidium at various stages of development. The conjuctival epithelium was hyper-plastic in several places. Cast 2, [Figure - 2].
Summary | |  |
Two cases of rhinosporidiosis of the conjunctiva are described with histological reports.[11]
References | |  |
1. | Duggan, J. N. (1928), Brit. J. Ophtli. 12, 526. |
2. | Duke-Elder, S. (1943), "Text-book of Ophthalmology", Vol. 2, P. 1659-60, Kimpton, London. |
3. | Duke-Elder, S. (1952), "Text-book of Ophthalmology", Vol. 5,P 4905, 5340, Kimpton, London. |
4. | Elliot and Ingram, (1912), Ophthalmoscope, 10, 428. |
5. | Karunaratne, (1936), J. Path. Bact., 42, 192. |
6. | Kirkpatrick, (1916), Ophthalmoscope, 14, 477. |
7. | Kurup, (1931), Proc. All Ind. O. S., 2, 104. |
8. | Rambo, (1949), Proc. All Ind. O. S., 10, 72. |
9. | Rao, N. and V., (1931), Proc. All Ind. 0. S., 2, 109. |
10. | Sorsby, A., (1951), "Systemic Ophthalmology", p . 3o3, Butterworth, London. |
11. | Wright, (1922), Ind. Med. Gaz. 57, 81. |
[Figure - 1], [Figure - 2]
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