PROPIONI BACTERIUM ACNES CORNEAL SPECIMEN AND KERATITIS

Purpose Propioni bacterium Acnes may be isolated from corneal specimen s. Its presence usually evokes a neighbouring tissue contamination. Ne vertheless we have tried to find arguments in favour of a possible pat hological responsibility of this microorganism in corneal affections. Material and methods A retrospective study tvas conducted in thirty pa tients with proved P. acnes corneal infection. The specimens were coll ected immediately during the first examination in the emergency ward. The research of anaerobic bacteria was made for each corneal specimen. Results We studied nineteen corneal abscesses and eleven corneal ulce rs. Ninety-one percent of the cases presented an associated irritating factor. In decreasing order we found: wearing of soft contact lenses (36 %), foreign corneal body still in situ or recently removed (21 %), recurrent corneal erosions (9 %), palpebral surgery (6 %), herpetic k eratitis (6 %) or rosacea (3 %). P. acnes was the only microorganism i dentified in 97 % of the cases. Starting treatment before bacteriologi cal results were known to be effective in each case. Conclusions These elements ave an argument for the pathological role of P. acnes in cor neal infections when combined with favourable local conditions. Its pr esence does not always mean actual contamination.