Abstract
Microbial, infectious keratitis is a relevant indication for penetrating keratoplasty. The requirement for transplantation results in histopathological examination of the entire thickness
of the cornea. Although the clinical diagnosis is not always possible to confirm, pathology can support diagnostic evidence of clinical presentation and pathogenesis. This is achieved with
multiple methods from cytology, histochemistry, immunohistology, molecular pathology and in rare cases electron microscopy. These allow tissue-based detection of previous and parallel
diseases and the responsible pathogens. The failure of satisfactory clinicopathological correlation raises the question whether a suspected pathogen was not ultimately responsible for
destroyed corneal tissue. The pathogenesis of keratitis requiring transplantation is not yet completely understood, also on the experimental level. The development of such a keratitis can
lead to a clinical symptomatology which can be described as “threatening organ dysfunction”, a term used in sepsis research. Considering recent literature, possible correlations between
sepsis and microbial keratitis and their relation to histopathology are discussed.
Key words
pathology - cornea - sepsis - infectiology - keratitis - keratoplasty
