QUERATITIS POR ACANTHAMOEBA. INFECCIÓN OCULAR EMERGENTE. REPORTE DE CASOS

Abstract

Since the first cases of keratitis caused by Acanthamoeba spp. were published in 1974,3 the number of cases has been increasing. This pathology is related to the use of contact lenses and refractive surgeries, not exclusively, however; since the protozoan can be contracted from contaminated water sources, such as ponds and lagoons.1,2,5,8,10 The growth of free-living amoebas is favored by the increase in water temperature as a result of global warming and the weather becoming more tropical. In this work, 11 cases of keratitis associated with the use of contact lenses and refractive surgeries are reported, as well as the case of a patient who acquired the protozoa at work, when cleaning a water well. For the lab diagnosis, corneal scraping was performed for direct parasitological analysis and sowing in culture medium. All the cultivated samples were positive for Acanthamoeba spp. This nosological entity is characterized by generating a clinical condition presenting strong eye pain and decreased visual acuity. In the ophthalmological examination, it can be confused with herpetic infection. If the infection is not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner, it can lead to perforation of the cornea and vision loss.