ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of Gram-Fungiflora Y double staining for corneal scraping samples collected by impression in diagnosing infectious keratitis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Two hundred and thirteen eyes of 192 patients suspected of having infectious keratitis were retrospectively studied for the sensitivity and specificity of Gram-Fungiflora Y based on final diagnosis. RESULTS: Of 165 infectious keratitis eyes, 107 had bacterial keratitis, 54 had fungal keratitis, and 15 had Acanthamoeba keratitis. Of these, 147 eyes were positive for one or other of the pathogens by the double staining method (overall sensitivity/specificity was 89.1% (95% confidence interval 83.1%-93.2%)/ 79.1% (64.6%-89.0%)). Sensitivity/specificity of the double staining for each of the pathogens was 88.8% 82.1% for bacterial keratitis, 81.4%/98.1% for fungal keratitis and 80.0%/97.0% for Acanthamoeba keratitis. CONCLUSION: The double staining method for impression specimens was effective in diagnosing infectious keratitis with high sensitivity, and was especially useful for the diagnosis of fungal or Acanthamoeba keratitis.
