Microbial keratitis in Southern Malawi: a microbiological pilot study.

Microbial keratitis (MK) is a significant cause of blindness in sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated the feasibility of using a novel corneal impression membrane (CIM) for obtaining and processing samples by culture, PCR and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in patients presenting with suspected MK in Malawi. Samples were collected from patients presenting with suspected MK using a 12 mm diameter polytetrafluoroethylene CIM disc. Samples were processed using culture and PCR for 71 eyes of 71 patients were included. The overall CIM isolation rate was 81.7% (58 positive samples from 71 participants). 69 (81.2%) of isolates were Gram-positive cocci. Coagulase-negative In a resource-poor setting, a CIM can be used to safely sample the cornea in patients presenting with suspected MK, enabling identification of causative microorganisms by culture and PCR. Although the microbiological spectrum found was limited to the dry season, these preliminary results could be used to guide empirical treatment.

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© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

Competing interests: SBK is an editor of BMJ Open Ophthalmology. There are no other conflicts of interest