PURPOSE: To evaluate a novel two-stage technique to increase yield of bacteria isolated from infected corneal ulcers. METHODS: A new blade was designed to remove friable material from infected corneal ulcers. The new blade was used in combination with standard tissue micro-homogenisation equipment in a two-stage technique intended to distribute biopsy samples evenly between relevant agar plates. Patients with presumed-bacterial corneal ulcers underwent sequential corneal sampling using the new two-stage technique and a scalpel blade, used without micro-homogenisation (the order of sampling was varied between two groups). Bacterial isolation rates were compared using the chi-squared test. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients with presumed-bacterial corneal ulcers were studied. The overall positive bacterial isolation rate was 88%, with identical bacterial isolation rates for the new two-stage technique and the scalpel blade (71%). The new technique isolated bacteria from three ulcers that had initially been 'sterile' when sampled with a scalpel blade. Polymicrobial infections were identified in two ulcers with the new blade where only a single organism had been identified using the scalpel blade (not significantly different). CONCLUSIONS: The new two-stage technique shows promise for improving bacterial isolation rates from presumed-bacterial corneal ulcers.
PURPOSE: To evaluate a novel two-stage technique to increase yield of bacteria isolated from infected corneal ulcers. METHODS: A new blade was designed to remove friable material from infected corneal ulcers. The new blade was used in combination with standard tissue micro-homogenisation equipment in a two-stage technique intended to distribute biopsy samples evenly between relevant agar plates. Patients with presumed-bacterial corneal ulcers underwent sequential corneal sampling using the new two-stage technique and a scalpel blade, used without micro-homogenisation (the order of sampling was varied between two groups). Bacterial isolation rates were compared using the chi-squared test. RESULTS: Twenty-four patients with presumed-bacterial corneal ulcers were studied. The overall positive bacterial isolation rate was 88%, with identical bacterial isolation rates for the new two-stage technique and the scalpel blade (71%). The new technique isolated bacteria from three ulcers that had initially been 'sterile' when sampled with a scalpel blade. Polymicrobial infections were identified in two ulcers with the new blade where only a single organism had been identified using the scalpel blade (not significantly different). CONCLUSIONS: The new two-stage technique shows promise for improving bacterial isolation rates from presumed-bacterial corneal ulcers.
Authors: Jayaraman Kaliamurthy; Catti Muniswamy Kalavathy; Pragya Parmar; Christadas Arul Nelson Jesudasan; Philip A Thomas Journal: Biomed Res Int Date: 2013-08-26 Impact factor: 3.411
Authors: Mihail Zemba; Otilia-Maria Dumitrescu; Andreea-Elena Dimirache; Daniel Constantin Branisteanu; Florian Balta; Marian Burcea; Andreea Dana Moraru; Sinziana Gradinaru Journal: Exp Ther Med Date: 2021-12-13 Impact factor: 2.447