$2.4 million grant for study of corneal infections associated with cont... ( Contact lens wearers are often warne...)

$2.4 million grant for study of corneal infections associated with contact lenses

Date:3/20/2008

Contact lens wearers are often warned to properly clean their lenses to prevent infections that can lead to severe inflammation, intense pain, and sight impairment.

Researchers from University Hospitals Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have been awarded a $2.4 million grant over five years from the National Eye Institute (NEI) to study corneal infection (keratitis) brought on by disease-causing fungi that can be lurking on contact lenses, in the air, in the dirt, or even on common household surfaces.

They will set their sights on Fusarium solani, the ubiquitous fungus that achieved international notoriety in 2005 and 2006 after an outbreak of corneal infections related to a contact lens care solution in the United States.

The researchers will study the bodys immune response to Fusarium and other pathogenic fungi, and will identify factors that fuel the infections.

Leading the study are Eric Pearlman, Ph.D., research director and research professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and Mahmoud Ghannoum, Ph.D., director of the Center for Medical Mycology in the Department of Dermatology. This award recognizes the complementary expertise of the two researchers. Dr. Pearlman is an expert in microbial infections and immune defense, while Dr. Ghannoum is expert in fungal pathogenesis.

Fusarium solani was already well-known as an important cause of eye infections in warm, humid areas of the U.S., and in southern and southeastern Asia, where this fungus can be picked up from the digging of dirt in agricultural work, Dr. Pearlman said. A couple of years ago, we saw it cause a lot of trouble in contact lens wearers because cleaning solutions werent able to scrub it away. Once it got into peoples eyes, it caused many problems and led to a recall of a cleaning solution.

Earlier this year, this research team published a study that described how fung
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Contact: George Stamatis
george.stamatis@UHhospitals.org
216-844-3667
University Hospitals of Cleveland
Source:Eurekalert

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