{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,12]],"date-time":"2026-07-12T03:54:37Z","timestamp":1783828477358,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":10,"publisher":"Digital Journal of Opthalmology","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,12]],"date-time":"2024-02-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1707696000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Digit J Ophthalmol"],"abstract":"<jats:p>BackgroundLaboratory confirmation is crucial for diagnosis and management of herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis. However, the sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in keratitis is low (25%) compared with that of mucocutaneous disease (75%). We developed an educational intervention aimed at improving the diagnostic yield of PCR.\nMethodsThe medical records of keratitis cases seen at the emergency department of a London tertiary ophthalmic referral hospital over two distinct periods, before and after an educational program on swab technique, were reviewed retrospectively.\nResultsA total of 252 HSV cases were included. Increases in the laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of HSV-1 were observed, in both first presentations (11.1%-57.7%) and recurrent cases (20%-57.6%). The rate of positive HSV-1 PCR in eyes with an epithelial defect increased from 19% pre-intervention to 62% post intervention. Notably, 3% were positive for varicella zoster virus DNA, and there was a single case of Acanthamoeba keratitis.\nConclusionOur results suggest that, with proper swabbing technique, PCR may be more sensitive than previously reported.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.5693\/djo.01.2024.01.002","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,13]],"date-time":"2024-02-13T14:10:10Z","timestamp":1707833410000},"page":"1-4","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Improving polymerase chain reaction diagnostic rates for herpes simplex keratitis: results of a pilot study"],"prefix":"10.5693","volume":"30","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9196-9647","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alice L.","family":"Milligan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9454-2131","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jeremy J.","family":"Hoffman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8319-7889","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yan Ning","family":"Neo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8375-5243","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Su-yin","family":"Koay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"3822","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"5507","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00003226-200101000-00001"},{"key":"5508","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/09286586.2021.1962919"},{"key":"5509","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2471\/BLT.19.237149"},{"key":"5510","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s15010-022-01857-0"},{"key":"5511","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/jmv.23414"},{"key":"5512","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Brunner M, Somerville T, Corless CE, et al. Use of a corneal impression membrane and PCR for the detection of herpes simplex virus type-1. J Med Microbiol 2019;68:1324-9.","DOI":"10.1099\/jmm.0.001041"},{"key":"5513","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/cxo.12669"},{"key":"5514","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1128\/jcm.00885-23"},{"key":"5515","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1099\/jmm.0.001041"},{"key":"5516","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bjo.2010.191049"}],"container-title":["Digital Journal of Ophthalmology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/djo.harvard.edu\/index.php\/djo\/article\/download\/693\/499","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/djo.harvard.edu\/index.php\/djo\/article\/download\/693\/500","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/djo.harvard.edu\/index.php\/djo\/article\/download\/693\/533","content-type":"text\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/djo.harvard.edu\/index.php\/djo\/article\/download\/693\/499","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,12]],"date-time":"2024-04-12T02:13:40Z","timestamp":1712888020000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/djo.harvard.edu\/index.php\/djo\/article\/view\/693"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,12]]},"references-count":10,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,3,31]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5693\/djo.01.2024.01.002","relation":{},"ISSN":["1542-8958"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1542-8958","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,12]]}}}