Title | Etiologies of Infectious Keratitis in Malawi. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2024 |
Authors | Kalua K, Misanjo ES, Lietman TM, Ruder K, Zhong L, Chen C, Liu YH, Yu D, Abraham T, Wu N, Yan D, Hinterwirth A, Doan T, Seitzman GD |
Journal | Am J Trop Med Hyg |
Date Published | 2024 Jul 16 |
ISSN | 1476-1645 |
Abstract | Infectious keratitis is a leading cause of corneal blindness worldwide with little information known about causative etiologies in Malawi, Africa. This area is resource-limited with ophthalmologist and microbiology services. The Department of Ophthalmology at the Kamuzu College of Health Sciences in Blantyre, Malawi, is a participating site of an international corneal ulcer consortium, capriCORN (Comprehensive Analysis of Pathogens, Resistomes, and Inflammatory-markers in the CORNea). In this study, 50 patients with corneal ulcers were swabbed for pathogen identification using RNA-sequencing. Corneal trauma was reported in 41% and 19% of the patients worked in agriculture. A pathogen was identified in 58% of the cases. Fungal pathogens predominated, followed by viruses and bacteria. Aspergillus, Fusarium, HSV-1, and Gardnerella were the most common pathogens detected. 50% of patients reported treatment with an antibiotic before presentation. Pathogens unusual for infectious keratitis, such as Subramaniula asteroids, Aureobasidium pullulans, and Gardnerella vaginalis, were also detected. |
DOI | 10.4269/ajtmh.24-0149 |
Alternate Journal | Am J Trop Med Hyg |
PubMed ID | 39013379 |