First report of hartmannella keratitis in a cosmetic soft contact lens wearer in Iran

ABSTRACT

Poor hygiene will provide good condition for corneal infections by opportunistic free-living amoebae [FLA] in soft contact lens wearers. In the present study an amoebic keratitis due to Hartmannella has been recognized in a 22-year-old girl with a history of improper soft contact lens use. She had unilateral keratitis on her left eye. Her clinical signs were eye pain, redness, blurred vision and photophobia. The round cysts of free-living amoebae were identified in non-nutrient agar medium by light microscopy. These cysts were suspected to be Hartmannella using morphological criteria. A PCR assay has been confirmed that the round cysts were belonged to H. vermiformis