Correlation between surface water contamination with amoeba and the onset of symptoms and diagnosis of amoeba-like keratitis

Abstract

Aim: A seasonal variation was noted in the incidence of amoeba-like keratitis in Iowa. The level of contamination of amoeba in surface water has been found previously to vary on a monthly basis for Tulsa, Oklahoma, a region with a similar climate. It was hypothesised that this seasonal variation in amoeba-like keratitis correlated with the concentration of amoeba in surface water.

Methods: The monthly variation in the onset of symptoms was determined and date of diagnosis in 137 cases of amoeba-like keratitis, in Iowa, from January 1993 to the end of December 1996.

Results: Over a 4 year period a significant variation was found, on a monthly basis, in the onset of symptoms as reported by the patient. There were two peak periods per year when the onset of symptoms was most frequent: June and November. This corresponded closely with the concentration of amoeba in the ground water reported for a similar region in the mid-west (Tulsa, Oklahoma). A yearly increase was found in the number of cases diagnosed from January 1993 to the end of December 1996.

Conclusions: This study supports the hypothesis that the concentration of amoeba in surface water may influence the rate of an amoeba-like keratitis infection.

Figure 1

Monthly variation in the date of onset of symptoms of acanthamoeba keratitis reported by the patient.

Figure 2

Monthly variation in the date of diagnosis of acanthamoeba keratitis determined clinically.