A bacterial strain that causes microbial keratitis shows alarming resistance to contact lens disinfectant solutions.
In the United Kingdom, researchers from The University of Liverpool and The Royal Liverpool University NHS Trust tested the ability of different strains of the keratitis-causing bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to survive in commonly used contact lens cleaning solutions. They compared nine different strains of P. aeruginosa, with P. aeruginosa strain 9027, the standard strain used by lens solution manufacturers.
Although the majority of these strains were killed after about ten minutes of being immersed in the contact lens solution, one of them, the P. aeruginosa strain 39016, survived for over four hours. However, it is associated with a more severe case of keratitis.
Microbial keratitis can be devastating for a patient it is important that the risk of developing this condition is reduced in contact lens wearers by improving contact lens disinfectant solutions, says Professor Craig Winstanley, who led the research.
The researchers will now investigate the extent of the bacterial resistance of this strain and the underlying mechanisms to help develop more effective products.
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