Clinicobacteriological profile and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of chronic dacryocystitis in adults

Background: Chronic dacryocystitis is a constant menace to delicate ocular structures. If left untreated, it can lead to sight as well as life-threatening complications. However, such complications may be prevented by timely intervention along with appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis. The objectives are to investigate the current bacterial community profile in adult patients with chronic dacryocystitis attending a referral eye care center in Odisha and to determine their drug susceptibility pattern to commonly used antimicrobial agents. Materials and Methods: An observational study was conducted on 70 adult patients with chronic dacryocystitis. The discharge from the punctum was collected by doing a regurgitation test or lacrimal passage irrigation and sent for microbiological analysis. Results: Out of 70 samples collected, 54 (77.1%) samples showed bacterial growth after 24–48 h of incubation. Among various isolates recovered, 68.5% were gram-positive and 27.8% were gram-negative organisms. Staphylococcus aureus was found to be the most common isolate among gram-positive, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was most common among gram-negative organisms. Among all drugs used in the susceptibility test; amikacin, piperacilin + tazobactam, and netilmycin were found to be most sensitive and cefixime, and amoxycilin + clavulinic acid was found to be most resistant to gram-positive as well as for gram-negative organisms. Conclusion: Knowledge about the microbiological profile and the drug susceptibility pattern responsible for chronic dacryocystitis in a geographical area is important and should be kept in mind while treating these patients.