Adherence of Acanthamoeba castellanii to new daily wear, extended wear, and disposable soft contact lenses.
We studied the adherence of Acanthamoeba to three types of new, unworn soft contact lenses: daily wear; extended wear; and disposable contact lenses. We used a human corneal isolate of Acanthamoeba castellanii in commercially prepared saline. Unworn lenses were exposed to Acanthamoeba cysts or trophozoites with stirring. After exposure the numbers of Acanthamoeba adhering were determined by light microscopy and confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. In general, the adherence of Acanthamoeba cysts and trophozoites to disposable lenses was less than that to daily wear and extended wear lenses. However, any adherence of Acanthamoeba to soft contact lenses is a potential source of corneal infection.
John
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Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Chicago, The Pritzker School of Medicine, IL 60637.
Desai
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Sahm
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D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000502:physiology*; D000268:Adhesiveness; D000818:Animals; D003261:Contact Lenses; D003262:Contact Lenses, Extended-Wear; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic; D004209:Disposable Equipment