Abstract
Objective To sort out the literature related to conjunctival bacteria and summarize research hotspots and trends of this field. Materials and Methods The relevant literature data from 1900 to 2019 was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. After manual selection, each document record includes title, author, keywords, abstract, year, organization, and citation. We imported the downloaded data into CiteSpace V (version 5.5R2) to draw the knowledge map and conduct cooperative network analysis, discipline and journal analysis, cluster analysis, and burst keyword analysis. Results After manual screening, there were 285 relevant papers published in the last 28 years (from 1991 to 2019), and the number is increasing year by year. The publications of conjunctival bacteria were dedicated by 1381 authors of 451 institutions in 56 countries/regions. The United States dominates this field (82 literatures), followed by Germany (23 literatures) and Japan (23 literatures). Overall, most cited papers were published with a focus on molecular biology, genetics, nursing, and toxicology. Most papers fall into the category of ophthalmology, veterinary sciences, and pharmacology and pharmacy. The only organized cluster is the “postantibiotic effect,” and the top 5 keywords with the strongest citation bursts include “postoperative endophthalmiti(s),” “infectious keratoconjunctiviti(s),” “conjunctiviti(s),” “resistance,” and “diversity”. Conclusion The global field of conjunctival bacteria has expanded in the last 28 years. The United States contributes most. However, there are little cooperation among authors and institutions. Overall, this bibliometric study organized one cluster, “postantibiotic effect”, and identified the top 5 hotspots in conjunctival bacteria research: “postoperative endophthalmiti(s),” “infectious keratoconjunctiviti(s),” “conjunctiviti(s),” “resistance,” and “diversity”. Thus, further research focuses on these topics that may be more helpful to prevent ocular infection and improve prophylaxis strategies to bring a benefit to patients in the near future.
Highlights
Resident bacteria flora can be detected in conjunctiva and conjunctival sac of healthy people, and the positive rate of conjunctival sac bacteria culture is about 20% [1,2,3]
The treatment and prevention of conjunctival bacterial infection are mainly based on the use of antibiotics
In terms of the number of citations in the Web of Science Core Collection database, as shown in Figure 2, the citation frequency of such literature has generally increased since the first publication of literature related to conjunctival bacteria in 1991, reaching the peak in 2017 with a total of 584 citations
Summary
Resident bacteria flora can be detected in conjunctiva and conjunctival sac of healthy people, and the positive rate of conjunctival sac bacteria culture is about 20% [1,2,3]. It is generally believed that these resident bacteria in the conjunctiva and conjunctival sac will not cause disease. According to the results of several studies, these resident bacteria may cause opportunistic infection on patients with immune deficiency. The treatment and prevention of conjunctival bacterial infection are mainly based on the use of antibiotics. With the extensive use of antibiotics, the resistance of bacteria towards antibiotics in conjunctiva and conjunctival sac is increasing [6, 7]. It is necessary to summarize literature in order to further understand the research hotspot of bacterial flora in conjunctiva and conjunctival sac and to provide research direction and basis for subsequent targeted research
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