Correlation Between Surface Water Contamination with Amoeba and the Onset of Symptoms and Diagnosis of Amoeba-like Keratitis

Overview

Journal Br J Ophthalmol

Specialty Ophthalmology

Date 1999 Jan 30

PMID 9924301

Citations 11

Authors

W D Mathers

J E Sutphin

J A Lane

R Folberg

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Aim: A seasonal variation was noted in the incidence of amoeba-like keratitis in Iowa. The level of contamination of amoeba in surface water has been found previously to vary on a monthly basis for Tulsa, Oklahoma, a region with a similar climate. It was hypothesised that this seasonal variation in amoeba-like keratitis correlated with the concentration of amoeba in surface water.

Methods: The monthly variation in the onset of symptoms was determined and date of diagnosis in 137 cases of amoeba-like keratitis, in Iowa, from January 1993 to the end of December 1996.

Results: Over a 4 year period a significant variation was found, on a monthly basis, in the onset of symptoms as reported by the patient. There were two peak periods per year when the onset of symptoms was most frequent: June and November. This corresponded closely with the concentration of amoeba in the ground water reported for a similar region in the mid-west (Tulsa, Oklahoma). A yearly increase was found in the number of cases diagnosed from January 1993 to the end of December 1996.

Conclusions: This study supports the hypothesis that the concentration of amoeba in surface water may influence the rate of an amoeba-like keratitis infection.

Citing Articles

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Isolation and identification of free-living amoeba from the hot springs and beaches of the Caspian Sea.

Latifi A, Salami M, Kazemirad E, Soleimani M Parasite Epidemiol Control. 2020; 10:e00151.

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The relationship between environmental sources and the susceptibility of Acanthamoeba keratitis in the United Kingdom.

Carnt N, Subedi D, Connor S, Kilvington S PLoS One. 2020; 15(3):e0229681.

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The rising incidence of Acanthamoeba keratitis: A 7-year nationwide survey and clinical assessment of risk factors and functional outcomes.

Randag A, van Rooij J, van Goor A, Verkerk S, Wisse R, Saelens I PLoS One. 2019; 14(9):e0222092.

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Association Between Season, Temperature and Causative Organism in Microbial Keratitis in the UK.

Walkden A, Fullwood C, Tan S, Au L, Armstrong M, Brahma A Cornea. 2018; 37(12):1555-1560.

PMID: 30234680 PMC: 6221182. DOI: 10.1097/ICO.0000000000001748.

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