Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara canis among Patients with Uveitis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara canis in patients with uveitis. METHODS: Patients with uveitis were examined. Serum antibodies to T. gondii and T. canis were tested by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done using blood and aqueous humor (AH). RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients were enrolled. Mean age was 43.5 ± 13.2 years. Six patients were seropositive for T. gondii with the following pattern: anterior uveitis, 1; posterior uveitis with retinitis, 2; pan uveitis, 2. One patient had a positive PCR result for T. gondii in AH, who showed panuveitis. Twenty-three patients were positive to serum IgG for T. canis with the following clinical manifestation: granuloma, 6; pigmented scar, 3; vitritis, 6--but none were PCR positive. CONCLUSIONS: T. gondii and T. canis are still important causes of uveitis. Ocular toxocariasis is not an uncommon cause of uveitis, even in adults.

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara canis among patients with uveitis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara canis in patients with uveitis. METHOD: Patients with uveitis were examined. Serum antibodies to T. gondii and T. canis were tested by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done using blood and aqueous humor (AH). RESULTS: 98 patients were enrolled. Mean age was 43.5 ± 13.2 years. Six patients were seropositive for T. gondii with the following pattern-anterior uveitis: 1; posterior uveitis with retinitis: 2; pan uveitis: 2. One patient had a positive result of PCR for T.gondii in AH, who showed pan uveitis. 23 patients were positive to serum IgG for T. canis with the following clinical manifestation-granuloma: 6; pigmented scar: 3; virtrits: 6-but none were PCR positive. CONCLUSION: T.gondii and T.canis are still one of the important causes of uveitis. Ocular toxocariasis is not an uncommon cause of uveitis even in adult.

Effect of cataract surgery on the progression of diabetic retinopathy.

PURPOSE: To study the effect of cataract surgery and other factors on the progression of diabetic retinopathy using the nonoperated contralateral eye as a control. SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology, Catholic University Medical College, Uijongbu St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Korea. METHODS: Monocular cataract surgery was performed in 75 patients who had the same degree of retinopathy or no retinopathy in both eyes preoperatively. Patients were assigned to 1 of 2 groups as follows: Group A, progression of retinopathy in the operated eye caused by cataract surgery; Group B, no progression of retinopathy bilaterally, comparable level of progression in both eyes, or more progression of retinopathy in the nonoperated eye than in the operated eye. The differences between the 2 groups in age, duration of and treatment methods for diabetes, renal function, and presence of preoperative macular edema were compared. The 1-year follow-up included evaluation of the progression of retinopathy. RESULTS: Surgery caused the retinopathy to progress in 23 patients (30.6%, Group A); 52 patients (69.4%, Group B) had no progression of retinopathy or a comparable level of retinopathy postoperatively. The operated eye had more progression of retinopathy than the nonoperated contralateral eye (P <.05). There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in age, diabetes duration, surgical method, or hypertension. Preoperative macular edema and poor renal function significantly affected the progression of diabetic retinopathy after cataract surgery (P <.05). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic retinopathy progressed after cataract surgery. The presence of preoperative macular edema and poor renal function increased the progression of retinopathy postoperatively.