Pathogenic bacteria and their antibiotic sensitivity in ophthalmia neonatorum

CONTEXT: Emergence of coagulase-negative staphylococci as pathogens in ophthalmia neonatorum. AIMS: To analyze the bacteriological spectrum of ophthalmia neonatorum and its associated risk factors. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Retrospective analysis in a tertiary care hospital in India. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was performed in a tertiary care center in India on 139 neonates presenting with conjunctivitis over a period of 3 years. All the neonates presenting to the out-patient department, those admitted in the Neonatal Intensive care Unit and in-patient wards were included in our study. The neonates were clinically examined and followed-up by a single experienced ophthalmologist. Details including demographic data, age of the infant, type of delivery, investigations, and treatment outcomes were analyzed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Frequency calculation using Microsoft Excel for windows 10. RESULTS: In the 92 samples with growth (66.2%), the most common organisms isolated were coagulase-negative Staphylococci (35.9%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (16.3%), and Acinetobacter species (16.3%). Others were Staphylococcus aureus (14.1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8.7%), and Escherichia coli (8.7%). Ophthalmia neonatorum was significantly higher in preterm infants born out of lower-segment cesarean section and those requiring ventilatory support. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike gonococcus, which is implicated in ophthalmia neonatorum, our study shows varied microbiological spectrum and sensitivity patterns with coagulase-negative staphylococci as the key pathogen. The role of coagulase-negative staphylococci as a disease-causing pathogen becomes increasingly important with an imperative need for prudent use of common antibiotics in treating these pathogenic bacteria.