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Conjunctival bacterial flora and their antibiotic sensitivity among patients scheduled for cataract surgery in a tertiary hospital in south-east Nigeria

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Abstract

Purpose

To determine the pre-operative conjunctival bacteria flora and their antibiotic susceptibility among patients scheduled for cataract surgery.

Methods

A descriptive, cross-sectional, hospital-based study design was adopted. It involved 104 consecutive, consented patients scheduled for cataract surgery at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, from June to September 2017. The participants’ socio-demographic characteristics, medical, and social history were obtained through interviewer-administered questionnaire. Conjunctival swab was obtained from the inferior fornix of the eye scheduled for cataract surgery using sterile swab stick and transported to medical laboratory for analysis. Susceptibility tests were carried out on the representatives of different groups of available antibiotics. Data was analyzed using the SPSS version 23.

Result

The participants were mainly females (64.4%), married, and farmers, with at least primary school education and a mean age of 64 ± 2SD years. The conjunctival swab bacteria isolation rate was 36.5%. Gram-positive bacteria accounted for 73.7% of the total isolates. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (34.2%) was the most frequently isolated bacteria. Gentamicin, ofloxacin, and polymycin B (76%) were the most efficacious antibiotics followed by moxifloxacin and tobramycin (68%) on all the isolates. Ofloxacin (82%) was the most sensitive to Gram positive while gentamicin (90%) was for Gram-negative bacteria.

Conclusion

In Enugu, the most common pre-operative conjunctival bacteria isolated were Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus with varied antibiotic sensitivity. Routine prophylaxis with gentamicin and ofloxacin is therefore advised to forestall the dreaded post-operative endophthalmitis.

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Authors’ contribution statements

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Cyril Mamah, Samuel Ebede, and Stella Ngozi Onwubiko. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Stella Ngozi Onwubiko and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, PMB 01129, Nigeria

    Cyril Chukwukama Mamah, Okey Charles Anyalebechi, Stella Ngozi Onwubiko, Mary Nkeiruka Okoloagu, F. C. Maduka-Okafor & R. E. Umeh

  2. Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, PMB 01129, Nigeria

    S. O. Ebede

Authors
  1. Cyril Chukwukama Mamah
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  2. Okey Charles Anyalebechi
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  3. Stella Ngozi Onwubiko
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  4. Mary Nkeiruka Okoloagu
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  5. F. C. Maduka-Okafor
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  6. S. O. Ebede
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  7. R. E. Umeh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stella Ngozi Onwubiko.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest

Ethics approval

This was obtained from the ethics committee of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Mamah, C.C., Anyalebechi, O.C., Onwubiko, S.N. et al. Conjunctival bacterial flora and their antibiotic sensitivity among patients scheduled for cataract surgery in a tertiary hospital in south-east Nigeria. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 259, 443–448 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-020-04926-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-020-04926-y

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