Antifungal activity of intraocularly used liquids against Aspergillus.

The antifungal effectiveness of liquids used as intraocular tamponading agents in vitrectomy was tested against a strain of Aspergillus niger. This microorganism is a frequent causative factor of endophthalmitis. The strain belonged to the ATCC collection (A. niger ATCC 16404). The samples tested were: (a) perfluorocarbons: perfluorodecalin and perfluoroctane, (b) silicone oils: Siloil 1,000 and Siloil 5,000, and (c) balanced salt solutions: BSS and BSS Plus. The experiment consisted in inoculating the samples with the microorganism, in preserving the samples in 25 degrees C in the dark, and in taking small amounts of each product for counting surviving microorganisms at t = 0 and then after 1 day, and 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks. Among the samples tested, perfluorocarbons and silicone oils conform to the standards. No increase, and in some samples decrease, in the number of microorganisms is observed during the second week, while the number drops to zero at the end of the experiment. Therefore, the use of these liquids is safe.