MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

Fungal infection monitoring on corneal epithelium ex vivo model and its collection over polyethersulfone membrane for detecting Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus

Summary

This research develops a new, faster way to diagnose fungal eye infections caused by Candida or Aspergillus fungi. Instead of waiting days for traditional culture tests, doctors can now use specially designed membranes to collect fungal material from the eye surface and identify the infection within hours using a simple fluorescent staining technique. This faster diagnosis allows doctors to choose the most effective treatment immediately, potentially improving vision outcomes for patients with fungal eye infections.

Background

Fungal keratitis remains an important cause of vision loss worldwide, with Candida and Aspergillus being common etiologies. Current detection methods including microbiological culture, PCR, and confocal microscopy have significant limitations in speed, cost, or specificity. This study develops a novel immunofluorescence-based detection system using polyethersulfone membranes as an alternative diagnostic approach.

Objective

To establish an ex vivo model of fungal corneal infection and develop a method for collecting and detecting fungal antigens from infected corneal surfaces using polyethersulfone membranes with immunofluorescence microscopy. The goal is to create a rapid, specific diagnostic alternative to conventional microbiological culture for identifying Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus infections.

Results

Immunofluorescence successfully detected both Candida and Aspergillus infections in corneal tissue, showing characteristic morphologies (yeast/pseudohyphae for Candida, filamentous growth for Aspergillus). Polyethersulfone membranes effectively collected fungal antigens, with significantly higher red fluorescence signals in infected cornea samples compared to negative controls (Candida: 95.964 vs 26.793; Aspergillus: 110.129 vs 65.909). Repeated sampling demonstrated repeatability of the collection process.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates for the first time that polyethersulfone membranes can effectively collect fungal antigens from infected corneal surfaces and enable specific detection through immunofluorescence microscopy. The novel glass slide KIT format provides a simple, rapid, cost-effective alternative to microbiological culture for fungal keratitis diagnosis with potential for clinical translation and improved patient outcomes.
  • Published in:Medical Microbiology and Immunology,
  • Study Type:Experimental Ex Vivo Study,
  • Source: PMID: 39918623, DOI: 10.1007/s00430-025-00820-8
Scroll to Top