Prevention of ophthalmia neonatorum caused by neisseria gonorrhoeae using a fatty acid-based formulation
Author(s)
Churchward, Colin P
Alany, Raid G
Kirk, Ruth S
Walker, Anthony J
Snyder, Lori AS
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Ophthalmia neonatorum, also called neonatal conjunctivitis, acquired during delivery can occur in the first 28 days of life. Commonly caused by the bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae, infection can lead to corneal scarring, perforation of the eye, and blindness. One approach that can be taken to prevent the disease is the use of an ophthalmic prophylaxis, which kills the bacteria on the surface of the eye shortly after birth. Current prophylaxes are based on antibiotic ointments. However, N. gonorrhoeae is resistant to many antibiotics and alternative treatments must be developed before the condition becomes untreatable. This study focused on developing a fatty acid-based prophylaxis. For this, 37 fatty acids or fatty acid derivatives were screened in vitro for fast antigonococcal activity. Seven candidates were identified as bactericidal at 1 mM. These seven were subjected to irritation testing using three separate methods: the bovine corneal opacity and permeability (BCOP) test; the hen’s egg test—chorioallantoic membrane (HET-CAM); and the red blood cell (RBC) lysis assay. The candidates were also tested in artificial tear fluid to determine whether they were effective in this environment. Four of the candidates remained effective. Among these, two lead candidates, monocaprin and myristoleic acid, displayed the best potential as active compounds in the development of a fatty acid-based prophylaxis for prevention of ophthalmia neonatorum.
Date Issued
2017-07
Date Acceptance
2017-06-19
Citation
mBio, 2017, 8 (4)
ISSN
2150-7511
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Journal / Book Title
mBio
Volume
8
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© 2017 Churchward et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000409384300016&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Microbiology
antibiotic resistance
eye infection
fatty acids
gonococcus
IN-VITRO
UNTREATABLE GONORRHEA
MONOGLYCERIDES
MONOCAPRIN
HYDROGELS
EPIDEMIOLOGY
INACTIVATION
RESISTANCE
CEFIXIME
EFFICACY
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
e00534-17
Date Publish Online
2017-07-25