Corneal Changes in Acanthamoeba Keratitis at Various Levels of Severity: An In Vivo Confocal Microscopic Study.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

To investigate the relationship between Acanthamoeba cysts and inflammatory cells in Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) by in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM).

Methods

A case-control study included 30 patients with AK and 20 normal controls. The severity of the AK was divided into mild, moderate, and severe. The central cornea and four standard quadrants of the peripheral cornea were imaged by IVCM. The cyst infiltration and dendritic cell (DC) density and maturity (size, length, field, and number of dendrites) were quantified. The relationship between clinical severity, cyst density, and DC alterations was characterized by Spearman correlation analysis.

Results

The maximum cyst density in the mild, moderate, and severe groups was 31.3 cysts/mm2 (17.2-32.8), 62.5 cyst

SUBMITTER: Wei Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8196423 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature