Microflora of conjunctiva in children and its sensitivity and resistance to antibacterial drugs

Abstract

Purpose: Investigation of microflora of conjunctiva and its resistance to antibacterial drugs in healthy children and patients with various inflammatory eye diseases.Methods: We examined 402 children (421 eyes) in the age from 1 month till 17 years: 62 healthy children (70 eyes) and 340 pa- tients with different inflammatory diseases of anterior segment of eye (351 eyes). the smear was done in all children for plating and definition of sensitivity of microflora to antibacterial drugs by method of diffusion to agar.Results: the plating was positive even in 72.9% of healthy children who entered the hospital for the planned surgery. Most often we revealed Staphylococcus epidermidis (44.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (12.8%), Streptococcus faecalis (5.7%) and Enterobacter (2.9%). In children with inflammatory diseases Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus (62.6%) were found fre- quently. the analysis of data showed high level of resistance of all microflora to aminoglycosides (neomycin 37.8% and tobramycin 32.7%) and chloramphenicol — 37.1%. the lowest resistance of all microflora was registered to levofloxacin (11.1%) and ciprofloxacin (10.5%). In gram-negative microflora we revealed the maximal sensitivity to ciprofloxacin, in gram-positive — to levofloxacin.We detected the maximal resistance of microflora to ampicillin (66.1%), and minimal — to cephalosporines (4.5%) among the antibiotics of systemic application.Conclusion: the findings allow us to recommend drops containing levofloxacin (Signicef) for clinical practice in pediatric ophthalmology