Orlando, Fla. (May 6, 2014) — A new study from the Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research (LEITR) and the University of Florida suggests that donor corneal tissue, which is routinely disqualified for positive sputum culture results obtained prior to the donor’s death, may still be suitable for transplantation. Investigators found that for six common pathogens under study, positive sputum cultures prior to death were not correlated with positive graft cultures following up to three weeks of preparation. The findings were presented today at the 2014 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting.
“Current screening practices for donor corneal tissue automatically exclude tissue samples with positive cultures from certain pathogens, while others require a medical consultation before the tissue can be used for transplantation,” explains Anup Kubal, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Florida. “This pilot study suggests that eye bank disqualification criteria may need to be adjusted.”
“These findings may eventually lead to more donor tissue becoming available for transplantation use, while simultaneously giving corneal surgeons confidence in accepting this tissue,” adds Lewis R. Groden, M.D., Medical Director, Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research and Executive Medical Director of LasikPlus Vision Centers/LCA Vision. “Additional research is needed to see if the findings can be replicated in larger studies.”
About the Study
Eighteen corneas from donors with positive sputum cultures prior to death were selected for study. Corneoscleral rims were obtained and placed in Optisol-GS media, transported on ice to LEITR, and maintained at 40°C for a total of five days from death in order to replicate the average time from death to transplantation. After five days, the corneas were removed from the media aseptically and two rim swab cultures—one for bacteria, one for fungus—were obtained. The cultures were developed in a commercial laboratory for five days for bacteria cultures, and seven In the study cohort, corresponding sputum isolates included a variety of microorganisms, including Klebsiella sputum (spp), Pseudomonas spp., Enterobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida spp. No growth was found in any bacteria or fungus rim cultures (score=0). Extending the incubation time of fungal cultures for up to three weeks still resulted in no growth for all samples (score=0).
Source: Griffeth W, Krall P, Gray M, Groden L, Morganti A, McCartney MD, Gore P, Forest-Smith L, Kubal A, “Relevance of Sputum Cultures in Evaluating Donor Corneal Tissue for Transplant.” Poster presented May 6, 2014 at the 2014 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Annual Meeting.
About the Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research (LEITR)
The Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research, Inc., (LEITR) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the recovery, evaluation and distribution of eye tissue for transplantation, research and education. LEITR, located in Tampa, FL, is the only combined eye bank and ocular research center in the world. Since its inception, it has brought the “Gift of Sight” to more than 55,000 men, women and children worldwide. For more information, visit www.lionseyeinstitute.org.