Anaerobic and aerobic bacteriology of acute conjunctivitis

Aerobic and anaerobic cultures and clinical data were obtained from 131 patients presenting with acute conjunctivitis. Similar cultures were obtained from 60 noninflamed individuals. Anaerobes were isolated from 66 patients, 51 times in mixed culture with aerobes and 15 times (11.5%) as the only isolates. Aerobes only were recovered in 54 patients. The organisms found to be statistically significantly more commonly recovered from eyes with conjunctivitis were Staphylococcus aureus, Hemophilus influenzae, Peptostreptococcus, and Propionibacterium acnes. No statistical difference was present between the bacterial flora of the eyes with unilateral conjunctivitis when compared to their uninvolved mates in 20 cases in which only one eye was involved.