1. The Acanthamoeba-Fungal Keratitis Study.
- Author
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Raghavan A, Baidwal S, Venkatapathy N, and Rammohan R
- Subjects
- Acanthamoeba isolation & purification, Acanthamoeba Keratitis diagnosis, Acanthamoeba Keratitis drug therapy, Acanthamoeba Keratitis microbiology, Adolescent, Adult, Anti-Bacterial Agents therapeutic use, Antiprotozoal Agents therapeutic use, Bacteria isolation & purification, Coinfection diagnosis, Coinfection drug therapy, Coinfection microbiology, Contact Lenses microbiology, Contact Lenses parasitology, Corneal Stroma microbiology, Corneal Stroma parasitology, Corneal Ulcer diagnosis, Corneal Ulcer microbiology, Cross-Sectional Studies, Eye Infections, Bacterial diagnosis, Eye Infections, Bacterial drug therapy, Eye Infections, Bacterial epidemiology, Eye Infections, Bacterial microbiology, Eye Infections, Fungal diagnosis, Eye Infections, Fungal drug therapy, Eye Infections, Fungal microbiology, Eye Infections, Parasitic diagnosis, Eye Infections, Parasitic drug therapy, Eye Infections, Parasitic microbiology, Female, Fungi isolation & purification, Humans, India epidemiology, Male, Middle Aged, Prospective Studies, Young Adult, Acanthamoeba Keratitis epidemiology, Coinfection epidemiology, Corneal Ulcer epidemiology, Corneal Ulcer parasitology, Eye Infections, Fungal epidemiology, Eye Infections, Parasitic epidemiology
- Abstract
Purpose: To ascertain the incidence of Acanthamoeba keratitis and the coexistence of Acanthamoeba and fungi in microbial keratitis., Design: Prospective cross-sectional study., Methods: Patients presenting with stromal keratitis were additionally tested for Acanthamoeba irrespective of the clinical diagnosis. Culture positivity was the gold standard., Results: Of the 401 cases included in the study, 40 were positive for Acanthamoeba (10%); of these 40, 16 were positive for both Acanthamoeba and fungi (4.5% of the study group was Acanthamoeba and fungal keratitis positive); 5 were positive for Acanthamoeba and bacteria; and 2 had triple infection with Acanthamoeba, fungi, and bacteria. Ring infiltrates and stromal edema are frequently associated with Acanthamoeba keratitis, as well as in Acanthamoeba coinfections. Ring infiltrates in particular were more frequently seen in the Acanthamoeba and fungal keratitis group (8/16) and they were often yellowish with hyphate edges (vs ring infiltrates only, which are seen in the patients with Acanthamoeba alone). Only 2 patients were contact lens wearers: however, they presented with history of trauma., Conclusions: Acanthamoeba coinfections are much more frequent and are not restricted to contact lens users. Anticipating coinfections is necessary for establishing a diagnosis as well as for appropriate and timely therapeutic interventions., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2019
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