Increased incidence of adult gonococcal keratoconjunctivitis at two tertiary eye hospitals in Western Europe: clinical features, complications and antimicrobial susceptibility

BACKGROUND

Gonorrhoea is on the rise: between 2021 and 2022, a 50% and a 33% increase in diagnoses was seen, respectively, in England and the Netherlands. A concurrent rise in gonococcal keratoconjunctivitis (GKC) is a serious concern due to the potentially devastating visual complications.

METHODS

This is a retrospective case series of adult GKC from two Western European tertiary ophthalmology centres between 2017 and July 2023. The clinical features, ocular complications and antimicrobial susceptibilities are reported within.

RESULTS

An increased incidence was recorded at both centres, with 11 confirmed cases in the first 7 months of 2023, compared with ≤3 per year in 2017-2022.

CONCLUSION

The notable increase of GKC cases in our centres in 2023 may indicate a rise across Western Europe. Enhanced, sustained, national surveillance of GKC is essential to establish incidence and antimicrobial susceptibility, to inform treatment guidelines and guide appropriate public health response.

In Vitro Effectiveness of Soft Contact Lens Solutions Available on the Dutch Market against Acanthamoeba Species

Acanthamoeba keratitis is almost universally associated with contact lens (CL) use. Until today, however, CL solution manufacturing protocols lack testing of anti-amoebic activity. This study investigates the effectiveness of CL solutions available on the Dutch market against trophozoites and cysts of Acanthamoeba castellanii and Acanthamoeba polyphaga. Sixteen CL solutions were tested: 13 multiple purpose solutions (MPS), 2 hydrogen peroxidase solutions (HPS) and 1 povidone-iodine-based solution (PIS). The Spearman-Karber (SK) log reduction method and an XTT colorimetric assay were used to evaluate the effectiveness at the manufacturer's minimum recommended disinfection time (MMRDT) and after eight hours. At the MMRDT, one MPS showed an SK mean log reduction (MLR) of >3.0 against A. castellanii trophozoites. Two additional MPS and both HPS reached this threshold after eight hours. The SK MLR values for A. polyphaga trophozoites were between 1 and 3 at all time points. Using the XTT colorimetric assay, only HPS 1 showed >99.9% reduction (equivalent to 3 log reduction) in metabolic activity of A. castellanii trophozoites after eight hours. For A. polyphaga, both HPS and PIS showed a metabolic reduction of >99.9% after eight hours. Cysts were resistant against all solutions. We conclude that following the manufacturer's guidelines, few solutions provide sufficient effectiveness against Acanthamoeba trophozoites and none against cysts. The results underline the importance of adequate hygiene when handling CLs.

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

Purpose

To evaluate the incidence of Acanthamoeba keratitis in the Netherlands between 2009 and 2015 and to analyse predicting factors for treatment outcome.

Methods

Patient characteristics, diagnostic methods, diagnostic delay, therapy prior to and after diagnosis, and visual outcome were obtained from medical files of all patients diagnosed with Acanthamoeba keratitis in the Netherlands between 2009 and 2015. A logistic regression analysis on treatment failure, defined as a best corrected visual acuity of less than 20/40 Snellen decimals (i.e. >0.3 logMAR or an approximate loss of three lines of visual acuity) and/or the need for keratoplasty, was performed to determine predicting factors.

Results

Two hundred and twenty-four eyes of 224 patients were included. Ninety-five percent of the patients were contact lens wearers, of whom 74% wore soft contact lenses. The number of cases increased from 16 in 2009 to 49 in 2015. This resulted in an estimated incidence of 1 in 21,000 for soft contact lens wearers in 2015. Eighty-seven eyes (39%) met the criteria for treatment failure. In a multivariable regression analysis, higher age at presentation, a higher severity stage and corticosteroid use before diagnosis were positively correlated with treatment failure. Early referral to a cornea specialist was associated with better clinical outcomes.

Conclusions

Although Acanthamoeba keratitis is still a relatively uncommon disease, the incidence in soft contact lens wearers has increased to reach 1 in 21,000 in 2015. Treatment failure occurred in 39% of cases, with age, higher severity stage, corticosteroid use before diagnosis and indirect referral to a cornea specialist as important risks factors.

[Infectious keratitis in contact lens wearers]

Infectious keratitis in contact lens wearers Infectious keratitis is a sight-threatening complication in contact lens wearers. The infection is most frequently caused by bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa). However, fungi or Acanthamoeba are found in increasing frequency. Three cases illustrate a characteristic course: patient A (11-year-old male) was treated for three weeks before the characteristic aspect of Acanthamoeba keratitis was recognized and confirmed. Patient B (45-year-old female) developed a severe corneal ulcer within 4 days; microbiological diagnostics confirmed Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis. Examination of patient C (27-year-old female) showed an infiltrate with satellites, typical of fungal keratitis. It is important to check the use of contact lenses in patients with keratitis. Referral to the ophthalmologist is mandatory: immediate in cases with an infiltrate. A dentritiform epithelial lesion in a contact lens wearer is indicative of Acanthamoeba keratitis, whereas fungal keratitis shows satellites or feathering edges. Steroids may only be prescribed by an ophthalmologist after confirmation of the causative agent.