Killing efficacy of a new hypothermic corneal storage medium against the micro-organisms frequently found in human donor cornea intended for transplantation

OBJECTIVE: To study the in vitro killing efficacy of Kerasave (AL.CHI.MI.A Srl), a medium provided with amphotericin B tablet for hypothermic storage of human donor corneas, against relevant contaminants associated with postkeratoplasty infections. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The antimicrobial activity of Kerasave was determined after 0, 3 and 14 days of incubation at 2°C–8°C, inoculating Kerasave and the control medium with 10(5)–10(6) colony forming units (CFU) of Candida albicans (CA), Fusarium solani (FS), Aspergillus brasiliensis (AB), Staphylococcus aureus (SA), Enterococcus faecalis (EF), Bacillus subtilis spizizenii (BS), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA), Enterobacter cloacae (EC) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP). Log(10) reductions at different time intervals were determined by assessing the number of viable CFU using the serial dilution plating technique. RESULTS: After 3 days, Kerasave induced the highest log(10) decrease in the concentrations of KP, PA, CA and EC (5.37, 4.15, 2.97 and 2.67, respectively; all p<0.001). The log(10) decreases of SA and EF were 2.27 and 2.11, respectively (all p<0.001). The lowest log(10) decrease was observed in BS, AB and FS concentrations (0.25, 0.30 and 0.67, respectively; p<0.001 for BS and AB and p=0.004 for FS). After 14 days, the microbial count of CA, FS, SA, EF, PA and EC further decreased (p=0.006 for FS; p<0.001 for the others). CONCLUSION: Kerasave effectively reduced or kept unchanged the microbial concentration of almost all tested strains after 3 days. Thus, this novel medium represents a valuable tool to control the microbial contamination of human donor corneas during hypothermic storage for up to 14 days before transplantation.