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2025 OMIG Meeting Agenda

Ocular Microbiology and Immunology Group
59th Annual Meeting
October 17, 2025


Moderators:
Bhupesh Bagga, DOMS, FRCS, and Rachel Wozniak, MD, PhD

NOTE: All times are EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME

CLICK on titles to view abstracts
Time # Title / Presenter
6:45 a.m. Registration
7:30 a.m. Introduction by Moderators
7:35 a.m. 2024 Harry Hirsch Leiter Award Recipient:

Infectious Etiologies of Conjunctival Tumors

Michael Antonietti, MD
7:42 a.m. Herpes vs OSSN: Infection vs Neoplasia

Despoina Theotoka
7:49 a.m. Chemo-Immunotherapy Resistant Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia Managed with I-125 Brachytherapy

Pragat J. Muthu
7:56 a.m. Ocular Exposure to a Murine Coronavirus Induces a Subclinical and Protective Immune Response in Mice

Jana Livingston
8:03 a.m. Dysautonomia and Ocular Symptoms in Long-COVID Patients

Sakina Qazi
8:10 a.m. Patients With Neurotrophic Keratopathy with Autoimmune Markers Have Worse Quality of Life Compared to Autoimmune Negative Neurotrophic Keratopathy Patients

Ana Balbuena-Pareja, MSc
8:17 a.m. Exploring the Relationship Between Serum Autoantibodies and Longitudinal Changes in Dry Eye Disease

Shyamal Raolji
8:24 a.m. Localizing Retinal Vessel Density Changes Associated with the Presence of Activated Dendritic Cells Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

Alex Hattenhauer
8:31 a.m. Descemet's Membrane Anterior Keratoplasty (DMAK) Outcomes in Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency Assessed with Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography: A Case Series

Neslihan Dilruba Koseoglu
8:38 a.m. Therapeutic Penetrating Keratoplasties in the Last 3 Years: A Subgroup Analysis for a Pilot Corneal Ulcer Clinic

Nicholas Joseph DeLuca
8:45 a.m. Real World Deployment of an AI Model for Potassium Hydroxide Smear Interpretation Reveals Critical Implementation Barriers

Jad F. Assaf, MD
8:52 a.m. Characterization of Endosymbiotic Microbiota, Mycotoxigenic Potential, and Metabolic Profiles of Fusarium Keratitis Isolates: Correlation with Clinical Outcomes

Salomon Merikansky, MD
8:59 a.m. Clinical Outcomes and in vitro Susceptibility Analysis of Fungal Keratitis Treated with Adjunct Rose Bengal Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy (RB-PDAT) at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP)

Aileen Miwa Tabuse
9:06 a.m. Photochemical Interactions Between Rose Bengal Photodynamic Therapy and Topical Antifungals Against Filamentous Fungal Keratitis Isolates

Brandon Chou
9:13 a.m. Strain-Specific Impact of Melanin Pathway Inhibition on RB-PDAT Efficacy in Aspergillus Keratitis Isolates

Heather Durkee, PhD
9:20 a.m. BREAK and Poster Viewing

9:40 a.m. Activity of Photoactivated Rose Bengal Alone or Combined with Standard Treatments in Trophozoites and Cysts of Acanthamoeba: In vitro Study

Talita Trevizani Rocchetti
9:47 a.m. Standard, Repeat, and High Fluence Rose Bengal Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy in Clinical Acanthamoeba Keratitis Isolates: In vitro Cysticidal Effect

Juan Carlos Navia
9:54 a.m. Free-Living Amoebae in Contact Lens Cases-Biological By-Passes for Non-Amebic Keratitis?

Darlene Miller, DHSc
10:01 a.m. Clinical and Genomic Profile ofStaphylococcus aureus ST398 in Ocular Infections

Humza Qureshi
10:08 a.m. Dual Antibacterial Silver-Vancomycin Nanoparticles for the Treatment Experimental Bacterial Endophthalmitis

Ashok Kumar, PhD
10:15 a.m. Over-the-Counter Artificial Tear Formulations Differentially Influence Microbial Growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates

Felipe Echeverri Tribin
10:22 a.m. External Validation of a Multi-Regionally Trained Deep Learning Model for Trachomatous Inflammation - Follicular Detection

Hady Yazbeck
10:29 a.m. Investigating the Combination of Salinomycin and Ophthalmic Antibiotics in Treating Bacterial Keratitis and Preventing Corneal Scarring

Rebecca Li
10:36 a.m. Combating Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Keratitis: In vitro Synergy Between Cefiderocol and Moxifloxacin

Eric Romanowski, MSc
10:43 a.m. Antimicrobial Efficacy, Ocular Surface Toxicity, and Cytokine Expression with Povidone-Iodine and Chlorhexidine

Anam Ahmed
10:50 a.m. Vision-Related Quality of Life Outcomes in Patients Treated for Microbial Keratitis in the SCUT II Trial

Alejandro Arboleda
10:57 a.m. OPEN QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

BREAK and Poster Viewing

10:57 a.m. Introduction -- Thygeson Lecture

30th Thygeson Lecture: "Following the Mutations - Adventures in Bacterial Keratitis, Predators, and Virulence Factor Regulation"
Robert M. Q. Shanks, PhD
Director, Charles T. Campbell Ophthalmic Microbiology Laboratory
UPMC Mercy Vision Institute
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

11:50 a.m. Questions, Closing Comments, Awards

12:00 p.m. Adjourn

12:15 p.m. Business Luncheon - Salon 11 (Level 2)
Predictors of Visual Acuity Improvement in Fungal Keratitis: A Multivariate Analysis
Mamta Agarwal
Diagnostic Yield of Direct vs. Indirect Corneal Cultures in Infectious Keratitis
Kyle S. Chan
False Positive Acanthamoebakeratitis from Multiplex PCR Diagnostics: A Case Series
Ashlin Joye
Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide Modulates Immune Responses and Prolongs Graft Survival in a Murine Model of High-Risk Corneal Transplantation
Ali Khodor
Referral Trends and Clinical Features of Neurotrophic Keratopathy Before and After Cenegermin Introduction
Onur Olcucu
Vancomycin is Poorly Active Against Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilms Formed by Endophthalmitis Isolates
Lucas Sejournet
Retrospective Review of Late-Onset Interstitial Keratitis in Post-Treatment Acanthamoeba Keratitis
Grace Tu

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