Acute bacterial conjunctivitis in Assiout, Upper Egypt: A one-year study

Abstract

(I) 320 cases of acute conjunctivitis seen at the Assiout University Eye Clinic were investigated bacteriologically and epidemiologically. (2) In I89 cases (59 per cent.), one or more of the known bacterial ocular pathogens was isolated, either alone or associated with normal flora. (3) In 131 cases (41 per cent.), normal flora or a negative culture were obtained. (4) The commonest pathogen was the Koch-Weeks bacillus, followed by haemolytic streptococcus, pneumococcus, and gonococcus. Two cases were possibly due to E. coli. (5) A marked increase in the frequency of isolation of C. xerosis was found in cases infected with pathogens. (6) Koch-Weeks bacillus was the most common cause of conjunctivitis at all seasons (except the Winter where it was replaced by the haemolytic streptococcus) and occurred in epidemic peaks in the Spring and Autumn. (7) Conjunctivitis was found most often in the first 6 years of life. The gonococcus was more commonly isolated from males and Moraxella from females. (8) The isolation of pathogenic bacteria from the conjunctiva was affected by the duration of the disease and by previous treatment of any sort. (g) The pathogens isolated in this series were found to be totally or highly resistant to penicillin and sulphonamides and markedly sensitive to chlortetracycline and chloramphenicol.