Microbial spectrum and antibiotic sensitivity in infantile dacryocystitis

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Infantile dacryocystitis is a common condition affecting newborns.
• Understanding the causative pathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility is crucial for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the microbial agents responsible for infantile dacryocystitis.
• To analyze trends in antibiotic sensitivities and pathogen prevalence over a decade.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 546 culture-proven infantile dacryocystitis cases (2009-2018).
• Analysis of patient demographics, microbial spectrum, and antibiotic susceptibility rates.
• Chi-squared test for trends to assess temporal changes.

Main Results:

• Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most frequent pathogen.
• Gram-positive microbes predominated (80.2%).
• Increasing susceptibility observed for Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mitis; decreasing for Staphylococcus epidermidis.
• Overall increasing microbial susceptibility to 12 antibiotics, but decreasing sensitivity to amikacin.

Conclusions:

• Staphylococcus epidermidis remains the primary cause of infantile dacryocystitis.
• Trends show increasing sensitivity to glycopeptides, cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, and lincosamides.
• A significant decrease in microbial sensitivity to amikacin was noted, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring.