Antimicrobial efficacy and corneal endothelial toxicity of DexSol corneal storage medium supplemented with vancomycin.

Despite the presence of gentamicin in corneal storage medium, postoperative endophthalmitis may result from the transmission of bacteria via contaminated corneal tissue. The authors evaluated the antimicrobial activity and endothelial toxicity of vancomycin (10 micrograms/ml) in combination with gentamicin (100 micrograms/ml) in DexSol corneal storage medium. When tested against a panel of common ocular pathogens, vancomycin combined with gentamicin proved more effective than gentamicin alone for inhibiting the growth of Streptococcus pneumoniae at 4 degrees C after 1- and 5-day incubation periods. Ultrastructural and morphometric analyses of paired human corneas stored for 5 days in either DexSol supplemented with vancomycin combined with gentamicin or DexSol with gentamicin alone did not show a significant difference in endothelial toxicity between the two groups. These results suggest that vancomycin combined with gentamicin has superior antimicrobial effect and similar corneal toxicity when compared with media supplemented with gentamicin alone.