Blindness due to acanthamoeba: first case report from Sudan

Acanthamoeba is a free-living protozoan widely distributed in soil, water, and air. It can cause corneal infection [keratitis] in man, and may lead to blindness of the affected eye in 15% of untreated cases. The main risk factors are eye trauma and contact lens wearing. Early presentation of Acanthamoeba keratitis patients usually includes ocular pain, photophobia, and a unilateral red eye. The story of a female Sudanese housewife who suffered a blind left eye due to Acanthamoeba is described in this report

Acanthamoeba keratitis in sudan: outcome of ketoconazole treatment in six patients

In an exploration of the acanthamoebic aetiology of chronic keratitis cases [not responding to antibiotics, antiviral or antifungal therapy], 138 Sudanese patients were seen over a 2-year period at two teaching eye hospitals in Khartoum State. Six [4.3%] of these patients were found to be suffering from Acanthamoeba keratitis. The present study focuses on the good outcome of oral ketoconazole in four patients at 18 months follow up period. The drug oral route, convenient frequency of doses, minimal side effects and availability at reasonable price favour ketoconazole therapy

Ampicillin-resistant haemophilus influenzae in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

During a period of nine months, 150 strains of Haemophilus influenzae isolated from clinical specimens were studied for their antibiotic resistance. Six strains [4%] produced beta-lactamase. Another important finding is the isolation of one strain of H. influenzae resistant to both ampicillin and chloramphenicol. A significantly high resistance to cotrimoxazole and tetracycline was also observed. This high incidence of resistance may be due to widespread abuse of antibiotics. The minimum inhibitory concentrations [MICs] of ampicillin were studied for 102 isolates. The MICs for beta-lactamase-positive strains ranged from 4 to 64microg/ml and the majority of beta-lactamase-negative strains had MICs of 0.5 microg/ml or less. The unreliability of the disc diffusion technique using 10 microg ampicillin discs to detect either beta-lactamase positive or relatively resistant strains is discussed