The effect of protein-coated contact lenses on the adhesion and viability of gram negative bacteria.
OBJECTIVE
Gram negative bacterial adhesion to contact lenses can cause adverse responses. During contact lens wear, components of the tear film adsorb to the contact lens. This study aimed to investigate the effect of this conditioning film on the viability of bacteria.


METHODS
Bacteria adhered to contact lenses which were either unworn, worn for daily-, extended- or overnight-wear or coated with lactoferrin or lysozyme. Numbers of viable and total cells were estimated.


RESULTS
The number of viable attached cells was found to be significantly lower than the total number of cells on worn (50% for strain Paer1 on daily-wear lenses) or lactoferrin-coated lenses (56% for strain Paer1). Lysozyme-coated lenses no statistically significant effect on adhesion.


CONCLUSIONS
The conditioning film gained through wear may not inhibit bacterial adhesion, but may act adversely upon those bacteria that succeed in attaching.
Williams
Timothy J
TJ
Cooperative Research Centre for Eye Research and Technology, School of Optometry and Vision Science, Australia.
Schneider
Rene P
RP
Willcox
Mark D P
MD
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects*; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003261:Contact Lenses; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000494:pharmacology; D009113:Muramidase / Q000494:pharmacology
D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D005136:Eye Proteins; C042434:tear proteins; D009113:Muramidase; D007781:Lactoferrin