Conjunctival Bacterial Flora at Birth: Comparisons between Cesarean Section and Vaginal Delivery

ABSTRACT

Conjunctival bacterial cultures for 113 neonates who were delivered by cesarean section or vaginal delivery were performed within 30 minutes after birth. These neonates were in the condition of no eye drops applied. The 43 newborns were delivered by cesarean section(CS group) and the 70 newborns were delivered vaginally(VD group). The 10 newborns(P1) (14 eyes(P2)) in the CS group and the 29 newborns(41 eyes) in the VD group showed culture positivity. These differences between two groups were statistically significant(p1, p2<0.05). The CS group had significantly fewer species and colony forming units cultured per subject (0.395 +/- 0.821(p3), 5.116 +/- 27.095(p4) than the VD group(0.971 +/- 1.393, 25.843 +/- 62.285) (p3,p4<0.05). Coagulase negative staphylococci were predominantly isolated in the CS group and coagulase negative staphylococci, gram positive bacilli, E. coli, nonfermenting bacilli, and S. aureus in the VD group. Therefore it was found that the conjunctiva of the newborns delivered by cesarean section bore significantly fewer bacteria and need less prophylactic measures than that of newborns delivered vaginally.