title: A Rabbit Model of Acanthamoeba Keratitis: Use of Infected Soft Contact Lenses After Corneal Epithelium Debridement With a Diamond Burr.
abstract: To develop a rabbit model of Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) as the best method to reproduce the natural course of this disease.
  
  
  
  To induce AK, infected contact lenses (1000 amoebae/mm2, 90% trophozoites) were placed over the previously debrided corneal surface, in combination with a temporary tarsorrhaphy. Environmental and clinical strains of Acanthamoeba spp. (genotype T4) were used. Three groups (1L, n = 32; 2L-21d, n = 5; 2L-3d, n = 23) were established according to the number of contact lenses used (1L, 1 lens; 2L-21d and 2L-3d, 2 lenses) and the placement day of these (1L, day 1; 2L-21d, days 1 and 21; 2L-3d, days 1 and 3). The infection was quantified by a clinical score system and confirmed using corneal cytology and culture, polymerase chain reaction and histopathologic analysis.
  
  
  
  The infection rate obtained was high (1L, 87.5%; 2L-21d, 100%; 2L-3d, 82.6%), although no clinical signs were observed in the 50% of the infected animals in group 1L. Among groups, group 2L-3d showed more cases of moderate and severe infection. Among strains, no statistically significant differences were found in the infection rate. In the control eyes, cross infection was confirmed when a sterile contact lens was placed in the previously debrided corneas but not if the eye remained intact.
  
  
  
  The combination of two infected contact lenses after corneal debridement seems to be an alternative model, clinically and histopathologically similar to its human counterpart, to induce the different AK stages and reproduce the course of the disease in rabbits.
authors.affiliation: Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (i3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain 2Department of Animal Pathology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Ángel
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Ortillés
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goñi
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Encarnación
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.affiliation: Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (i3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sierra
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Pathology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Ekaterina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gámez
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiatry and Nursery, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: María T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benito
authors.affiliation: Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (i3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain 5Department of Ophthalmology, "Lozano Blesa" University Clinic Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: José Á
authors.initials: JÁ
authors.lastname: Cristóbal
authors.affiliation: Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (i3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain 6Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine Online Biomedical Research Center (CIBER-BBN), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Begoña
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Calvo
mesh_terms: D015823:Acanthamoeba Keratitis; D000818:Animals; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic / Q000469:parasitology*; D003646:Debridement / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D018130:Diamond; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011817:Rabbits; D013525:Surgical Instruments
chemical_list: D018130:Diamond