Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Oct-Dec;11(4):363-367.
doi: 10.4103/2008-322X.194071.

Microbial Profile of Corneal Ulcers in a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India

Chittur Y Ranjini  1 , Vishnu V Waddepally  1
Affiliations

Microbial Profile of Corneal Ulcers in a Tertiary Care Hospital in South India

Chittur Y Ranjini et al. J Ophthalmic Vis Res. 2016 Oct-Dec.

Abstract

Purpose: To identify the prevalence and microbial profile of infectious keratitis in a tertiary eye care hospital, and to test for the in vitro antimicrobial resistance of the bacterial isolates.

Methods: A total of 312 patients presenting to a tertiary eye care hospital with infected corneal ulcer were enrolled in this study. Their socio-demographic data and risk factors were recorded. Corneal scrapings collected from the edge of the ulcer were processed for direct gram stain and KOH mount. Culture was recovered on blood agar, chocolate agar, MacConkey agar and Sabouraud's dextrose (SDA) agar in multiple C shaped streaks. After overnight incubation, bacterial culture was followed by standard biochemical tests and antimicrobial sensitivity according to the clinical and laboratory standards institute (CLSI) guidelines. Inoculated SDA was inspected daily for up to 10 days and the growth was identified by its colony morphology, pigment production and lacto-phenol cotton blue mount examination.

Results: Of 312 patients, a microbial etiology was established in 117 cases (37.5%). Of these, 72 (61.5%) were male. The age range of 41-60 years was the most affected group. Of 117 positive cases, 52 (44.5%) were bacterial, 58 (49.5%) were fungal and 7 (6%) patients showed mixed bacterial and fungal infection. The most common isolated fungus was Fusarium which was detected in 36 (31%) cases, followed by Aspergillus spp in 13 (11%) subjects. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common isolated bacteria. All Gram positive cocci were susceptible to vancomycin followed by gatifloxacin, whereas all Gram negative bacilli were susceptible to gatifloxacin.

Conclusion: Routine microbiological examination of patients with corneal ulcer is necessary in order to analyze and compare the changing trends of the etiology and their susceptibility patterns.

Keywords: Antibiotic Susceptibility; Bacterial; Corneal Ulcer; Fungal; Keratitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age and gender wise distribution of corneal ulcer.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk factors of corneal ulceration.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Assudani HJ, Pandya JM, Sarvan R, Sapre AM, Gupta AR, Mehta SJ. Etiological diagnosis of microbial keratitis in a tertiary care hospital in Gujarat. Natl J Med Res. 2013;3:60.
    1. Insan NG, Mane V, Chaudhary BL, Danu MS, Yadav A, Srivastava V. A review of fungal keratitis: Etiology and laboratory diagnosis. Int J Curr Microbiol App Sci. 2013;2:307–314.
    1. Leck AK, Thomas PA, Hagan M, Kaliamurthy J, Ackuaku E, John M, et al. Aetiology of suppurative corneal ulcers in Ghana and south India and epidemiology of fungal keratitis. Br J Ophthalmol. 2002;86:1211–1215. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Das S, Konar J. Bacteriological profile of corneal ulcer with references to Antibiotic susceptibility in a tertiary care hospital in West Bengal. IOSR J Dent Med Sci. 2013;11:72–75.
    1. Bakshi R, Rajagopal R, Sitalakshmi G, Sudhi R, Madhavan H, Bagayalakshmi R. Clinical and Microbiological Profile of Fungal Keratitis: A 7 Year Study at a Tertiary Hospital in South India. Cornea Session III; AIOC 2008 Proceedings. :207–209.