Fluoroquinolone therapy in Mycobacterium chelonae keratitis after lamellar keratectomy.

Abstract

PURPOSE:

To characterize a rabbit model of Mycobacterium chelonae keratitis after lamellar keratectomy and assess the effectiveness of fluoroquinolone therapy.

SETTING:

University Laboratory, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.

METHODS:

Twenty-eight New Zealand white rabbits had unilateral lamellar keratectomy with placement of 2.5 x 10(5) colony-forming units of log-phase M chelonae under each flap. Eyes (7 per group) were randomized and treated with sterile balanced salt solution, gatifloxacin 0.3%, ciprofloxacin 0.3%, or levofloxacin 0.5% 4 times daily. Two masked observers examined all eyes on days 2, 5, and 7 and weekly for 4 weeks. Severity of disease and bacterial culture results were the main outcomes measured. The means and standard deviations were calculated, and differences between the groups were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS:

All eyes developed clinical disease. At the time the rabbits were killed, eyes treated with balanced salt solution, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and gatifloxacin were culture positive in 6 (85.7%), 7 (100%), 6 (85.7%), and 3 (42.9%) of 7 eyes per group, respectively. Frequency of positive culture and the severity of clinical disease in gatifloxacin-treated eyes were significantly less (P < .05) than in the other groups combined.

CONCLUSIONS:

The rabbit model of M chelonae keratitis was successfully developed in our study. A fourth-generation quinolone (gatifloxacin) showed the best performance among the fluoroquinolones tested in our experimental approach. The fourth-generation fluoroquinolone, gatifloxacin, could be effectively used for the treatment of mycobacterial keratitis.

• Authors: Melvin A Sarayba, Neda Shamie, B J Reiser, Paula M Sweet, Mehran Taban, Jordan M Graff, Anna Kesler-Diaz, Kathryn E Osann, Peter J McDonnell
• Journal: Journal of cataract and refractive surgery (J Cataract Refract Surg) Vol. 31 Issue 7 Pg. 1396-402 (Jul 2005) ISSN: 0886-3350 [Print] United States
• PMID: 16105613 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Anti-Infective Agents
• Fluoroquinolones
• Ciprofloxacin
• Levofloxacin
• Ofloxacin
• Gatifloxacin

Topics

• Animals
• Anti-Infective Agents (therapeutic use)
• Ciprofloxacin (therapeutic use)
• Colony Count, Microbial
• Cornea (microbiology)
• Corneal Transplantation
• Disease Models, Animal
• Eye Infections, Bacterial (drug therapy, microbiology)
• Fluoroquinolones (therapeutic use)
• Gatifloxacin
• Keratitis (drug therapy, microbiology)
• Levofloxacin
• Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous (drug therapy, microbiology)
• Mycobacterium chelonae (physiology)
• Ofloxacin (therapeutic use)
• Rabbits