RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To study culture of vitreous fluid specimens in patients with infectious endophthalmitis, using blood culture bottles compared with conventional culture media. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Patients with infectious endophthalmitis, occurred within 6 weeks after ocular trauma or intraocular surgery, were prospectively studied. Vitreous fluid specimens were cultured in both blood culture bottles and conventional culture media. The measured outcome is the yield of positive culture and time to positive culture. RESULTS: The vitreous fluid culture was positive in 14 of 27 eyes (51.85%). Blood culture bottle was positive in 14 of 14 eyes (100%), whereas conventional culture media was positive in 7 of 14 eyes (50%). Most specimens in both techniques showed positive culture within 24 hours. CONCLUSION: Vitreous fluid culture with blood culture bottles is superior to conventional media with statistically significant difference. There was no significant difference in time to positive culture.