Existing strategies to reduce the risk of bacterial or fungal infection:
(1) exclusion of donors with septicemia or endocarditis
(2) antiseptic preparation
(3) aseptic retrieval
(4) anti-infective preservation
(5) microbiological assessment prior to distribution or use
where:
• The presence of a bacterial or fungal infection in or adjacent to the eye would seem to be a reason to exclude the donor's cornea.
• The presence of HIV, rabies, HBV and other viruses would exclude the donor but would not be associated with bacterial or fungal endophthalmitis.
Additional donor-related risk factors identified in the study:
(1) donor hospitalized at the time of death
(2) donor with cancer-related death
Transplant related factors:
(1) interval between patient death and corneal transplant > 5 days
(2) age of the recipient > 65 years
