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Haemophilus influenzae causing conjunctivitis in day-care children
S Trottier1, K Stenberg, I A Von Rosen
1Department of Clinical Immunology, Lund University, Sweden.
The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|August 1, 1991
Summary
Haemophilus influenzae is often carried in the nose but rarely causes conjunctivitis in children. This study suggests eye colonization, not infection, by common nasal strains.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Ophthalmology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Acute purulent conjunctivitis is common in children.
- Haemophilus influenzae is a known pathogen but its role in conjunctivitis is debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of Haemophilus influenzae in pediatric acute purulent conjunctivitis during a day-care outbreak.
- To determine if conjunctivitis is caused by specific virulent strains or colonization by nasopharyngeal carriage strains.
Main Methods:
- Culture of nasopharyngeal and eye swabs from children with conjunctivitis (cases) and healthy children (controls).
- Identification of H. influenzae isolates using capsular typing, biotyping, and multi-locus enzyme electrophoresis.
- Assessment of in vitro attachment to epithelial cells.
Main Results:
- H. influenzae was frequently carried in the nasopharynx (53%) but isolated from only 8/20 conjunctivitis cases.
- Eye isolates were typically nonencapsulated and genetically diverse, matching nasopharyngeal strains.
- No evidence of strain spread between day-care centers or increased epithelial cell attachment.
Conclusions:
- The majority of conjunctivitis cases were unlikely caused by H. influenzae.
- Conjunctivitis was likely due to colonization by existing nasopharyngeal H. influenzae strains, not infection by specialized virulent strains.