Etiological diagnosis of microbial keratitis in a tertiary care hospital in Lucknow

Abstract

Context: Microbial keratitis is a sight-threatening infection which can lead to devastating outcome if not managed timely and rightly. Aim: The aim is to study the etiology and assess the risk factors of infectious keratitis in patients presenting to the Ophthalmology Department in King George's Medical University, Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), India. Setting and Design: The study was conducted at the Microbiology and Ophthalmology Department of King George's Medical University, Lucknow. This was a prospective, observational study. Subjects and Methods: A total of 120 corneal scrapings were performed in patients presenting with corneal ulcers between August 2016 and July 2017. Gram staining, KOH mount, and culture on blood agar and Sabouraud's dextrose agar were done for all the scrapings for the identification of bacterial and fungal isolates. Statistical Analysis: None. Results: Microbial etiology was established 34.17% of scrapings. The most common risk factor was trauma (56.7%) of which vegetative trauma was maximum (31/68). Among 41 positive cultures, 34.14% were bacterial while 65.85% were fungal in etiology. The most common bacterial and fungal isolates were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. (50%) and Aspergillus spp. (25.93%), respectively. Conclusion: Trauma was the most common predisposing factor for microbial keratitis in our setting. Fungal infections were more common than bacterial. The “regional” findings play an important role in public health implications to understand the etiology better and to initiate appropriate treatment.