Microbiota evaluation of patients with a Boston type I keratoprosthesis treated with topical 0.5% moxifloxacin and 5% povidone-iodine.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of a prophylactic regimen of daily topical 0.5% moxifloxacin and 5% povidone-iodine (PI) in patients with Boston type I keratoprosthesis (KPro) and to assess the applicability of a novel molecular diagnostic technique to analyze the ocular surface microbiota in these patients.

Methods: Ten patients had their inferior conjunctival fornix sampled for standard culture methods before the addition of topical 5% PI to the prophylactic regimen and were considered the control group (group 1). The inferior conjunctival fornix and the KPro-donor cornea interface of 10 patients treated with the mentioned prophylactic regimen were sampled and analyzed by standard culture methods and using a polymerase chain reaction/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry assay (group 2).

Results: Samples from the inferior conjunctival fornix were positive for coagulase-negative staphylococcus in 3 patients and for Aerobasidium pullulans in 1 patient in group 1. The inferior conjunctival fornix and the KPro-donor cornea interface scrapings were positive for coagulase-negative staphylococcus in 2 patients and 1 patient, respectively, in group 2. No bacteria and fungi growth were detected in any patient from group 2 with the molecular diagnostic approach. None of the patients with culture-positive results developed keratitis or endophthalmitis during the study.

Conclusions: Topical 0.5% moxifloxacin associated with topical 5% PI is an effective prophylactic regimen in patients with Boston type I KPro. The molecular diagnostic approach using serial polymerase chain reaction and mass spectrometry was comparable with standard microbiologic techniques as a surveillance tool in these patients.