{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,19]],"date-time":"2025-12-19T22:07:45Z","timestamp":1766182065417,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,27]],"date-time":"2023-02-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1677456000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Reports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>65 consecutive patients with presumed microbial keratitis and negative culture tests for bacteria and fungi obtained by corneal curettage were evaluated. All patients had undergone local broad spectrum antibiotic therapy for at least 5 days with no clinical improvement. After 48\u201372 h of wash-out they underwent scraping of the superior tarsal conjunctiva for cytological examination of cellular morphology in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The presence of pathogenic microorganisms was detected with this method in 62 of these patients, towards which specific therapy was carried out. Clinical improvement and eradication of microorganisms previously detected by SEM examination were observed in all positive patients over a time between 10 and 49 days. In three patients, no microorganisms were detected, but the presence of inflammatory cells (eosinophils and mast cells) or dry eye findings. This method could be useful to detect the presence of non-isolated microorganisms at common culture tests. The resolution of the infectious keratitis and the eradication of the pathogens at the subsequent cytological examination of cellular morphology in Scanning Electron Microscopy support the validity of the proposed method.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/reports6010010","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,27]],"date-time":"2023-02-27T03:29:48Z","timestamp":1677468588000},"page":"10","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Scanning Electron Microscopy of Conjunctival Scraping: Our Experience in the Diagnosis of Infectious Keratitis with Negative Culture Tests"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"6","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3492-014X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mario","family":"Troisi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Dentistry Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6004-7781","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Salvatore","family":"Del Prete","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service Biotech s.r.l., 80121 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Salvatore","family":"Troisi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Head-Neck, Ophthalmologic Unit, Salerno Hospital University, 84100 Salerno, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0540-623X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniela","family":"Marasco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service Biotech s.r.l., 80121 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ciro","family":"Costagliola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Dentistry Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,2,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"940","article-title":"The Clinical Diagnosis of Microbial Keratiti","volume":"143","author":"Dahlgren","year":"2007","journal-title":"AJO"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"206","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.38128.631319.AE","article-title":"Predicting bacterial cause in infectious conjunctivitis: Cohort study on informativeness of combinations of signs and symptoms","volume":"329","author":"Rietveld","year":"2004","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"141","DOI":"10.1007\/s11908-011-0167-y","article-title":"Conjunctivitis: Systematic Approach to Diagnosis and Therapy","volume":"13","author":"Thanathanee","year":"2011","journal-title":"Curr. Infect. Dis. Rep."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1953","DOI":"10.1185\/03007990903038269","article-title":"Acute conjunctivitis: Truth and misconceptions","volume":"25","author":"Jeng","year":"2009","journal-title":"Curr. Med. Res. Opin."},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"487","article-title":"Acanthamoeba Keratitis: Diagnosis and Treatment Update","volume":"148","author":"Dart","year":"2009","journal-title":"AJO"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"49","DOI":"10.1016\/j.micron.2007.10.023","article-title":"High spatial resolution surface imaging and analysis of fungal cells using SEM and AFM","volume":"39","author":"Kaminskyj","year":"2008","journal-title":"Micron"},{"key":"ref_7","first-page":"115","article-title":"Clinical applications of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in North America with emphasis on SEM\u2019s role in comparative microscopy","volume":"154","author":"Carter","year":"1980","journal-title":"Scan. 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