A comparative study of aerobic bacterial conjunctival flora in type II diabetes mellitus and non-diabetic individuals who attends to department of ophthalmology at a teaching institute

Abstract

Normal conjunctival flora have important role in the healthy functioning of eye like maintenance of surface homeostasis and prevention and/or causation of ocular infection. Objective of this study is to investigate the conjunctival aerobic bacterial flora in diabetic patients and nondiabetic subjects with regard to the management of diabetes which is assessed by glycated hemoglobin levels. A prospective study carried out to compare the conjunctiva microflora in 50 diabetes mellitus type II and age matched 50 non-diabetic healthy individuals. Swab was taken from all the participants by rubbing sterile cotton swab to inferior palpebral conjunctiva. Bacterial culture processed using blood agar, chocolate agar, eosin methylene-blue lactose sucrose agar and sabouraud dextrose agar. The bacterial flora identified using microbiology procedure. The rate of bacterial isolate determined as 40% and 34% in diabetes mellitus type II and non-diabetic healthy subjects. In these diabetic group, 30% positive for , 20% for , 10% for , 10% for coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and 30% for more than one bacteria. In non-diabetic group, 52.9% positive for 23.5% for coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS), 5.8% for and 17.6% for more than one bacteria. There was no statistical significant difference observed in isolated bacteria in diabetic and non-diabetic groups. Gram negative bacterial colonization observed high in diabetic individuals (diabetic group, χ2= 0.156, p = 0.815 and in healthy non-diabetic group, χ2= 4.95, p = 0.035). Bacterial isolates were lower in diabetics younger than 40 years of age compared with older than 60 years of age. The conjunctival bacterial flora in diabetics differ from non-diabetic subjects. This should be considered preoperatively and postoperatively, for prophylactic and postoperative treatment should be administered accordingly to the diabetic patients.