Abstract
Purpose: :
To test the effectiveness of povidone iodine (PVP–I) on rabbit eyes inoculated intravitreally with Staphylococcus epidermidis.
Methods: :
Twenty New Zealand albino rabbits, divided into four groups (n=5), were treated in accordance with the ARVO guidelines on the care and use of animals in research. The eyes were injected intravitreally with 0.1 ml of Staphylococcus epidermidis containing 3030 colony–forming units (CFU) in one eye and with saline in the other eye. The animals were treated 7 hours later with intravitreal injection of 0.1 ml of 20 µg, 50 µg, or 100 µg of PVP–I. An untreated group of animals served as controls. The concentration of bacteria in the vitreous from all of the rabbits was determined two days after infection. Results were then analyzed for statistical significance, and histological preparations were performed to determine the extent of endophthalmitis development.
Results: :
The study showed no statistical difference in bacterial counts between any of the treatment groups and the control group. All of the infected eyes went on to develop endophthalmitis as observed by indirect ophthalmoscopy and histological preparations.
Conclusions: :
Intravitreally injected PVP–I (100 µg) had no statistically significant effect on rabbit eyes inoculated with 3030 CFU of Staphylococcus epidermidis.
Keywords: drug toxicity/drug effects