[Neonatal conjunctivitis in a hospital at Gran Buenos Aires. Last 5 years up-date]

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neonatal Care
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Neonatal conjunctivitis is a frequent reason for medical consultation in newborns.
• Causes include chemical irritants and infectious agents.
• A long-term study on neonatal conjunctivitis pathogens has been ongoing since 1995.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the epidemiological situation of neonatal conjunctivitis pathogens from 1999 to 2003.
• To compare pathogen prevalence between two distinct periods: 1995-1998 and 1999-2003.
• To identify the most common microorganisms responsible for neonatal conjunctivitis.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective epidemiological study.
• Analysis of microbiological data from neonatal conjunctivitis cases.
• Comparison of pathogen prevalence between two time intervals (1995-1998 and 1999-2003).

Main Results:

• Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis remained stable at 8% throughout the study period.
• Prevalence of common bacterial microorganisms decreased from 52.4% (1995-1998) to 36.6% (1999-2003).
• The most frequent bacterial isolates were Staphylococcus aureus (27.6%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (27.2%), and Haemophilus influenzae (25.6%).

Conclusions:

• Chlamydia trachomatis prevalence in neonatal conjunctivitis is stable.
• A significant decrease in common bacterial causes of neonatal conjunctivitis was observed.
• Potential factors for the decrease include changes in sample collection or epidemiological shifts.
• Evaluating ocular secretions for symptomatic treatment, confirmed by microbiology, is crucial.