Abstract
In children there is a paucity of data in recent literature on the prevalence of infective conjunctivitis and almost it is absent from an area like Sudan. This research was aimed to study the point prevalence of a cute bacterial conjunctivitis in Sudanese children and put light on causative bacterial pathogens. Acute bacterial conjunctivitis is a common infection in children and it may be extremely contagious and easily spread in day care centres and school class rooms leading to absences or lost time from work for parents, outbreaks may occur. Common presenting symptoms are red eye and eye discharge. Commonly involved bacteria are Staphylococcus aureus and Haemophilus influenzae. Generally it is a mild disease but more serious complications may occur. Methods: Hundred children with clinical presentation of acute conjunctivitis were included in this study. For each patient a sample for bacterial culture and sensitivity to commonly used antibiotics was obtained by a thin cotton micro swab, isolation and identification of pathogens was done by conventional methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed according to method standardized by CLSI. Data was analyzed by SPSS computer program. Results: The most common presenting symptom is the red eye. Bacterial pathogens were detected in 65% of the studied sample. Predominant bacterial pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus and Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae is a cause in small number of patients. All isolates are sensitive to Gentamycin. Conclusion: Acute bacterial conjunctivitis is a common infection in children, muco purulent discharge points to bacterial cause in acute infective conjunctivitis. Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen and it is sensitive to Gentamycin.
Highlights
The conjunctiva is a vascularized mucous membrane that covers the anterior surface of the globe, fornical conjunctiva and the posterior surface of the upper and lower eye lids [1]
Predominant bacterial pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus and Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae is a cause in small number of patients
Rietveld study stated that glued eye, itch and history of conjunctivitis provided optimal discrimination between patients with bacterial and viral aetiology, a history of both infectious conjunctivitis and itch make the probability of bacterial aetiology less likely, while glued eye is strong hint for bacterial aetiology [18]
Summary
The conjunctiva is a vascularized mucous membrane that covers the anterior surface of the globe, fornical conjunctiva and the posterior surface of the upper and lower eye lids [1]. The common cause of conjunctivitis is infection by bacteria or viruses; it can be caused by chemical irritants, traditional eye remedies or allergy [2,3,4] It is a self-limiting condition [5,6,7,8], but it may be extremely contagious. Other clinical indicators of bacterial aetiology were reported by Patel report [4] those include history of gluey or sticky eyelids or eyelashes in the morning, examination findings of mucoid or purulent eye discharge and findings of eyelids or eye lashes crusting or gluing, lacking of sensation of burning eyes and the absence of watery discharge Another important diagnostic clue is the concomitant infection with acute otitis media [19] and the most common bacterium causing this syndrome is Haemophilus influenzae [20]. On the other hand a very valuable report coming after searching the literature by Gigliotti, stated that he was unable to find evidence of the diagnostic usefulness of clinical signs, symptoms or both in distinguishing bacterial conjunctivitis from viral conjunctivitis and he recommended further researches to provide general practitioners with easy to use diagnostic tools to differentiate bacterial from viral conjunctivitis to tailor antibiotic prescriptions [21]
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