Clinico-Microbiological Profile of Infective Keratitis in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Eastern India

Description

Background: Infective Keratitis (Microbial Keratitis) is an infection of the cornea caused by a wide spectrum of microbial agents. Its main clinical presentation is a Corneal ulcer that is defined as a Loss of corneal epithelium with infiltration and suppuration of the underlying stroma. According to the World health organization (WHO), corneal diseases are among the major causes of vision loss and blindness in the world today, second only to cataract in overall importance. Aim: To isolate and identify the pathogenic organism Method: The study was conducted in 45 patients diagnosed with corneal ulcer attending Ophthalmology OPD, MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur over a period of 2 months. The material was scraped from the leading edge and base of the ulcer and was inoculated onto Blood agar, Mac Conkey agar and Sabouraud Dextrose agar for culture and onto 2 slides for Gram’s stain and 10% KOH wet mount. The antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by Kirby Bauer’s disc diffusion method. Results: Out of a total of 45 patients, 35were males. The majority of the patients belonged to the age group of 50-60 years. Pain, Redness, Hypopyon was most commonly seen in Bacterial keratitis. In Fungal Keratitis, Redness (80%), Blurred vision (80%) was seen. The most common occupation was Farmers (66.6%). Trauma was the most common risk factor (23 isolates). The majority were bacterial isolates (29 isolates, 64.4%) followed by fungal (5 isolates, 11.1%). The predominant isolate was Staphylococcus aureus (68.9%). Staphylococcus aureus showed 70% sensitivity to Moxifloxacin and 65% sensitivity to Gentamycin. Conclusion:  Knowledge of the local prevalence of etiological agents of IK and their susceptibility patterns helps in guiding ophthalmologists to select appropriate antibiotic for empirical therapy.