Etiological & Microbiological Profile Of Infective Keratitis - A Hospital based study

INTRODUCTION: Microbial keratitis is a potentially serious corneal infection and a major cause of visual impairment worldwide. A conservative estimate of the number of corneal ulcers occurring annually in the developing world alone is 1.5-2 million. Permanent visual dysfunction has been reported in a significant proportion of patients in both developing and developed countries. Srinivasan et al comment that ulceration of the cornea in south India 'is a blinding disease of epidemic proportions. AIM: To study epidemiological, etiological & microbiological factors associated with the patients with infective keratitis attending the hospital. MATERIALS & METHODS: A Retrospective study of the patients who attended Ophthalmology Dept. of Gayatri Vidhya Parishad Instirtute of Health Care & Technology Marikavalasa Visakhapatnam for Infectious Keratitis .A total of 83 corneal scrapings from patients presenting with infective keratitis were evaluated from Dec2014 to Jan 2018. Scrapings were subjected to Gram stain KOH preparation and culture for bacterial and fungal pathogens on suitable media. RESULTS: About 55% of the patients with corneal ulcer presenting to this hospital were inflicted with trauma prior to the onset of keratitis.Injury with vegetable matter followed by injury with wooden particles and stones were the major cause of corneal insult. Microbiologicaletiology was established in 90% of cases (75 of 83cases). Out of 75 positive cultures 64% were bacterial and 36 % were fungal. Among the bacteria most common organism grown wasPseudomonas, Staph aureus followed by coagulase negative staphylococcus. Among Fungal isolates Fusarium followed by Aspergilluswere seen. CONCLUSIONS: In our study trauma with vegetable matter was the most common causative factor, followed by wooden particles and stones. This may be because most of the patients are agricultural laborers. Males are more commonly affected than females. Bacterial ulcers are slightly more common than fungal& Pseudomonas and Aspergillus were the most common pathogens.