Studies on the efficacy of novel disinfectant and therapeutic agents against Acanthamoeba

The efficacy of current commercial contact lens solutions was studied against the resistant cyst form of the opportunistic corneal pathogen Acanthamoeba Acanthamoeba by optimising a peroxide-peroxidase-halide system. This led to the investigation of enhancing the activity of hydrogen peroxide against Acanthamoeba and other ocular pathogens in a self-neutralising system to provide an antimicrobial system for the cleaning of contact lenses.;The effect of cyst production on the susceptibility of contact lens disinfectants and current therapies was also studied, this highlighted the need for standardised and reproducible methods for evaluating contact lens disinfectants and therapeutic agents against Acanthamoeba. Investigation of current multipurpose contact lens solutions led to the investigation of a component (MAPD) of one of these solutions and its potential therapeutic use for acanthamoeba keratitis patients. The antimicrobial activity of MAPD was investigated and found to be active against Acanthamoeba cysts and other ocular pathogens providing a potential compound in the treatment of acanthamoeba keratitis and, other forms of microbial keratitis.;As the rate of treatment failures with acanthamoeba keratitis is high, the possibility of exposure of Acanthamoeba to therapeutic compounds causing the development or selection of a resistant population was investigated over a 4 week period, it was found that in culture, the organism lost any increased resistance that it may have gained. Finally, other methods were investigated to measure the viability of Acanthamoeba , to replace the current culture method. Measuring ATP activity proved to be as ineffective as the levels of ATP obtained were too low to measure.