treatment of experimental candida keratitis with ethanol extract of propolis in goat

Fungal keratitis is a serious clinical infection on the cornea mainly caused by candida albicans and is one of the leading causes of blindness (1). the treatment options are currently limited to a few anti-fungal agents. with the increasing incidence of drug-resistant infections, many patients fail to respond to antibiotics (2). recent studies have shown that propolis has the potential of anti-fungal activity (3). however, only a few clinical trials have been initiated in fungal keratitis treatment using propolis. in this study, the therapeutic effects of ethanol extract of propolis on candida keratitis in goats were investigated. for this purpose, 8 male goats with an approximate weight of 50 kg were used. the immune system was suppressed with dexamethasone. the cornea was scraped and contaminated with c. albicans (ptcc 5027). corneal lesions were confirmed by fluorescein strip. affected animals were organized into four distinct groups (n=2). group i was treated topically with propolis ethanol extract dissolved in glycerin (1000 µg/ml), group ii was treated topically with nystatin ointment, group iii was treated with glycerin, and group iv was designed as an untreated control group. the results of this study showed that ethanol extract of propolis in comparison with nystatin, could eliminate c. albicans and improve clinical sings of candida keratitis in goats in a shorter duration period.