title: A novel rat contact lens model for Fusarium keratitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to develop and characterize a new contact lens-associated fungal keratitis rat model and to assess the ability of non-invasive spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) to detect pathological changes in vivo in fungal keratitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used SD-OCT to image and measure the cornea of Sprague Dawley rats. Fusarium infection was initiated in the rat eye by fitting Fusarium solani-soaked contact lenses on the experimental eye, while the control animals received contact lenses soaked in sterile saline. The fungal infection was monitored with periodic slit-lamp examination and in vivo SD-OCT imaging of the rat eye, and confirmed by histology, counting of viable fungi in the infected rat cornea, and PCR with specific primers for Fusarium sp.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We imaged and measured the rat cornea with SD-OCT. Custom-made contact lenses were developed based on the OCT measurements. Incubation of contact lenses in a F. solani suspension resulted in biofilm formation. We induced contact lens-associated Fusarium keratitis by fitting the rat eyes for 4 h with the Fusarium-contaminated contact lenses. The SD-OCT images of the cornea correlated well with the slit-lamp and histopathological results and clearly defined clinical signs of infection, namely, increased corneal thickening, loss of epithelial continuity, hyper-reflective areas representing infiltrates, and endothelial plaques characteristic of fungal infection. Moreover, in three cases, SD-OCT detected the infection without any clear findings on slit-lamp examination. Infection was confirmed with histological fungal staining, PCR, and microbiological culture positivity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We developed a highly reproducible rat contact lens model and successfully induced contact lens-associated Fusarium keratitis in this model. The clinical presentation of contact lens-associated Fusarium keratitis in the rat model is similar to the human condition. SD-OCT is a valuable tool that non-invasively revealed characteristic signs of the fungal infection and could provide sensitive, objective monitoring in fungal keratitis.
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami ; Department of Ophthalmology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abou Shousha
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
authors.forename: Andrea Rachelle C
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami ; Department of Ophthalmology, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Oechsler
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami ; Department of Ophthalmology, University Campus Bio-medico, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iovieno
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maestre-Mesa
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
authors.forename: Jose J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Echegaray
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
authors.forename: Sander R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Dubovy
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
authors.forename: Victor L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
authors.forename: Darlene
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
authors.forename: Eduardo C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Alfonso
authors.affiliation: Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami.
authors.forename: M Livia
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bajenaru
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018639:Contact Lens Solutions; D003261:Contact Lenses / Q000382:microbiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015821:Eye Infections, Fungal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D060585:Fusariosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005670:Fusarium / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007634:Keratitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence
chemical_list: D018639:Contact Lens Solutions