Microbial Culture Results and Pathogen Profiles of Donor Corneas in Eye Bank
10.11714/jsysu.med.YX20260090
- VernacularTitle:眼库供体角膜微生物培养结果及病原学分析
- Author:
Jianping JI
1
;
Huicong HU
1
;
Zhancong OU
1
;
Rongrong CHEN
1
;
Jiabi LIANG
1
;
Nandan WU
1
;
Xiaojuan DONG
2
;
Ting HUANG
2
Author Information
1. Eye Bank of Guangdong Province//Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center， Sun Yat-sen University， Guangzhou 510623， China
2. Department of Cornea， Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center， Sun Yat-sen University， Guangzhou 510623， China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
donor cornea;
eye bank;
corneal transplantation;
microbiological culture;
multidrug-resistant organisms
- From:
Journal of Sun Yat-sen University(Medical Sciences)
2026;47(5):886-898
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo analyze the microbial culture positivity rate， pathogen spectrum， prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms （MDROs）， and differences among donor procurement sources in corneas from the Eye Bank of Guangdong Province， and to provide evidence for eye bank quality control and the prevention of post-keratoplasty infections. MethodsThis retrospective study included 7 442 donor corneas procured by the Eye Bank of Guangdong Province and used for keratoplasty at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center， Sun Yat-sen University， between 2018 and 2025. During surgery， donor corneoscleral rim tissue was excised for bacterial and fungal culture. Culture-positive specimens underwent microbial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing （AST）. Culture-positive corneas were compared across study years， pathogen categories， and donor procurement sources. ResultsOf the 7 442 donor corneas， 251 were culture-positive， corresponding to an overall culture positivity rate of 3.37%， with annual rates ranging from 1.50% to 5.31%. Among culture-positive corneas， 178 （70.92%） yielded bacteria alone， 72 （28.68%） yielded fungi alone， and 1 （0.40%） yielded both bacteria and fungi. Candida spp. and Aspergillus spp. were the predominant fungal isolates. Gram-negative bacteria were more frequently isolated than Gram-positive bacteria. The most common bacterial isolates were Acinetobacter baumannii， Staphylococcus epidermidis， Stenotrophomonas maltophilia， Enterococcus faecium， and Pseudomonas fluorescens. MDROs accounted for 75.47% of bacterial isolates， predominantly Acinetobacter baumannii， Staphylococcus epidermidis， and Enterococcus faecium， and demonstrated an increasing trend over the study period. Donor corneas procured through the Hospital Cornea Retrieval Program （HCRP） had a higher culture positivity rate than those obtained through Organ Procurement Organization （OPO） （P＜0.000 1）. Among culture-positive donor corneas， the proportion of fungal culture-positive corneas was significantly higher in the HCRP group than in the OPO group （P=0.001 5）， whereas the proportion of MDROs among bacterial culture-positive corneas was significantly higher in the OPO group than that in the HCRP group （P=0.005 2）. ConclusionsThe overall culture positivity rate of donor corneas from the Eye Bank of Guangdong Province is relatively low， indicating that the risk of microbial contamination is controlled. However， pathogen profiles and antimicrobial resistance patterns varies by procurement source. Ongoing microbiological and antimicrobial resistance surveillance， together with optimized donor risk assessment and timely reporting of culture results， may further improve eye bank quality management and help inform strategies for preventing post-keratoplasty infections.
