title: Evaluation of Corneas from Donors With Septicemia for Use in Corneal Transplant.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate if donor corneas obtained from deaths occurring because of septicemia can be used for corneal transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven septicemic donor corneas were used in the study and 10 donor corneas from deaths because of causes other than septicemia were used as controls. Blood culture reports of all patients who had donated eyes were collected, and the pathogenic organisms causing septicemia were noted. On obtaining the eyeballs, aqueous and vitreous samples were sent for polymerase chain reaction to analyze for eubacterial and panfungal genomes. Corneal and scleral tissues (3 × 3 mm) were sent for culture in brain heart infusion media. Growth from each of the samples was checked to ascertain if the same organism was isolated in all.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One corneal and 3 scleral culture reports in the sepsis group and 1 corneal and 1 scleral culture report in the control group showed positive growth. Normal conjunctival/eyelid commensal organisms were isolated from all culture-positive samples and did not correlate with the pathogenic organism causing the septicemia. Three aqueous and vitreous samples in the sepsis group and 4 samples of aqueous and vitreous in the control group that tested positive for eubacterial genome showed no corresponding growth in the culture report of cornea and sclera.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Corneal tissues harvested from septicemic donors do not necessarily harbor the pathogenic organisms causing the septicemia, suggesting that such corneas may be suitable for transplantation.
authors.affiliation: *Narayana Nethralaya Eye Hospital, Bangalore, India; and †Molecular Diagnostics and Lab Services, Narayana Nethralaya Eye Hospital, Bangalore, India.
authors.forename: Harsha
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagaraja
authors.forename: Venkataramana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Anandula
authors.forename: Thungappa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kugar
authors.forename: Yathish
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shivanna
authors.forename: Rohit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shetty
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000382:microbiology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003315:Cornea / Q000382:microbiology*; D016039:Corneal Transplantation; D015818:Eye Infections, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology*; D015821:Eye Infections, Fungal / Q000382:microbiology*; D005658:Fungi / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D016681:Genome, Fungal; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012590:Sclera / Q000382:microbiology; D018805:Sepsis / Q000382:microbiology*; D014019:Tissue Donors; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000382:microbiology