Disposable contact lenses and bacterial adhesion. In vitro comparison between ionic/high-water-content and non-ionic/low-water-content lenses.
An in vitro quantitative study of the adhesion of a Staphylococcus aureus strain to two types of disposable contact lenses has been carried out. The first type was an ionic/high-water-content (I-HWC) lens (42% Etafilcon A, 58% water) and the second was a non-ionic/low-water-content (Nl-LWC) lens (61.4% poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate), 38.6% water). Adhesion to the two lens types was evaluated both in basic conditions and after treatment with lysozyme. The results showed that I-HWC lenses are more prone to Staphylococcus aureus adhesion than NI-LWC lenses, both untreated (+15.4%) and treated with lysozyme (+20.5%). Lysozyme increased bacterial adhesion by 30.5% on the lenses with lower water content, and by 36.3% on those with higher water content.
Arciola
C R
CR
Laboratory for Biocompatibility Research on Implant Materials, Istituti Ortopedici Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy.
Maltarello
M C
MC
Cenni
E
E
Pizzoferrato
A
A
D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D007477:Ions; D009113:Muramidase / Q000494:pharmacology; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
D007477:Ions; D014867:Water; D009113:Muramidase