Epidemiology of Ocular Infection Due to Bacteria and Fungus – A Prospective Study.

ABSTRACT

A total number of 400 cases of eye infection were studied. Among them, 250 were conjunctivitis (59.2%),120 were keratitis (53.34%) 15 were endophthalmitis (26.67%) and 15 were suffering from other infections (40%). The corneal scrapping, conjunctival swab and biopsy material ( endophthalmitis cases) was collected asceptically. The material was examined using 10% Potassium hydroxide, Gram staining and Giemsa staining. The specimens were cultured on sheeps’ blood agar, chocolate agar and sabourauds’ dextrose agar. In the bacterial cause of eye infection Staphylococcus aureus (19.13%) was the most commonly isolated organism and other pathogens isolated were Streptococcus pneumoniae (10.93%), Streptococcus pyogens (0.55%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.92%), Klebsiella species(2.74%), Escherichia colli (1.10%) and Proteus mirabilis (0.55%). Among the opportunistic pathogens, Staphylococcus epidermidis, (19.13%) were the most common isolate followed by Acinetobacter species(2.74%). Alkaligenes faecalis (1.10%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (0.55%), Staphylococcus cohnii (0.55%), Staphylococcus haemolyticus (0.55%). In the endopthalmitis patients only Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20%) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (6.67%) were isolated. In the fungal keratitis, the total fungal isolates were 32.50%. Among them Aspergillus species (56.42%) was the most common fungus isolated followed by Curvurlaria (17.95%), Cladosporium (7.70%), Candida species (5.13%), Fusarium (5.13%), Alternaria (5.13%), Penicillium (2.57%). Fungal infection is a life threatening condition, which needs early diagnosis and treatment to save the patients’ eye. Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis are still the most common isolates among the known and opportunistic pathogens in ocular infection. Pseudomonas is the most common cause of endophthalmitis. Aspergillus remains most common cause for fungal keratitis.