ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the bacterial profile in the conjunctiva and meibomian glands in patients before penetrating ocular surgeries, and to compare the anti-bacterial efficacy of 0.5% levofloxacin and its combination with meibomian gland massage. DESIGN: Hospital-based, case-control study. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and twenty-six eyes from 226 patients with non-infective ocular diseases and scheduled for penetrating ocular surgeries. METHODS: Tested eyes were administered topical 0.5% levofloxacin (4 times daily) for 2 days. Among them, 91 eyes received meibomian gland massage before levofloxacin application. Samples from the conjunctival sac and meibomian glands were collected for aerobic and anaerobic cultures. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Culture-positivity and bacterial strains. RESULTS: Before treatment, aerobes and anaerobes were cultured from 38.5% and 11.0% of the conjunctival samples respectively, compared with 38.5% and 8.8% in the meibomian secretions respectively. Staphylococcus epidermidis and Propionibacterium acnes were the commonest isolated aerobe and anaerobe. Two-day application of levofloxacin reduced aerobic growth to 29.6% in the conjunctiva and 19.3% in the meibomian glands. It had no effect on the anaerobes in these regions (13.3% in the conjunctiva and 10.4% in the meibomian glands). Combined levofloxacin with meibomian gland massage further reduced aerobic growth to 19.8% in the conjunctiva and 11.0% in the meibomian glands. It also drastically decreased anaerobic growth in the meibomian glands (1.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Meibomian glands carrying considerable bacteria should be considered as a potential source of contamination in ocular surgery. Meibomian gland massage shows additional anti-bacterial effects to topical levofloxacin and could be recommended as a complementary preoperative prophylaxis.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/administration & dosage , Conjunctiva/drug effects , Levofloxacin/administration & dosage , Massage/methods , Meibomian Glands/drug effects , Administration, Ophthalmic , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Bacteria, Aerobic/isolation & purification , Bacteria, Anaerobic/isolation & purification , Case-Control Studies , Combined Modality Therapy , Conjunctiva/microbiology , Eye Diseases/surgery , Eye Infections, Bacterial/prevention & control , Female , Humans , Male , Meibomian Glands/microbiology , Middle Aged , Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures , Young AdultABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To compare the bacteriological profile of meibomian gland secretion and conjunctival cul-de-sac in subjects with and without meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). METHODS: This hospital-based study enrolled 201 eyes from 201 MGD patients and 84 eyes from 84 age- and gender-matched controls. Samples from the conjunctivae and meibomian gland secretion were obtained. Both aerobic and anaerobic cultures were performed. Differences in the culture-positivity and bacterial strains between two groups were compared. RESULTS: 36.9% and 10.7% of the control meibomian gland secretion recovered aerobes and anaerobes, respectively. A higher rate of aerobic (44.0%) and similar rate of anaerobic (10.7%) bacteria were isolated from the conjunctival cul-de-sac in these controls. Patients with MGD showed significantly higher positive culture rates from both the meibomian gland secretion (75.6% for aerobes and 34.3% for anaerobes) and conjunctival cul-de-sac (64.7% for aerobes and 30.8% for anaerobes). All p values were ≤ 0.001. In both groups and at either location, the predominant species isolated were Staphylococcus epidermidis (aerobes) and Propionibacterium acnes (anaerobes). Of note, the MGD patients harbor a much more complex bacterial profile than the controls. CONCLUSION: Both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria can be isolated from the ocular surface of healthy subjects. Patients with MGD demonstrate significantly higher culture positivity and more complex bacterial profiles than the controls. Bacterial related cytotoxicity and/or inflammation may contribute to the pathological process of MGD.
