ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND: Endophthalmitis is an ocular emergency and bacteria are the commonest etiological agents of infectious endophthalmitis. Any delay in treatment will result in serious complication like complete loss of vision.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken with the aim of isolating bacteria causing endophthalmitis and studying their antibiogram which is very crucial for management; and to evaluate the use of a low nutrient agar for isolation of the etiological agent.

METHODS: 60 clinically diagnosed cases of endophthalmitis were studied during the period of three years. Aerobic culture and sensitivity was done on conventional media and low nutrient media (R2A agar). Antimicrobial sensitivity testing was performed.

RESULTS: Comparative evaluation of R2A agar versus conventional enriched media used for culture showed positive culture of 89% (42) cases in R2A agar against the 79% (37) cases in conventional media used. Sensitivity of the isolates against the antimicrobial agents exactly correlated with those used in ophthalmic infections. All the gram positive isolates (100%) were sensitive to vancomycin and the entire gram negative isolates (100%) sensitive to Ceftadizime.

CONCLUSIONS: R2A agar yielded 10% higher growth when compared to other conventional media used. At the same time, conventional media are indispensable as few organisms failed to grow on R2A agar. It can be concluded that R2A and conventional medium can be used supplementary to each other.

Keywords: Endophthalmitis, infectious endophthalmitis, low nutrient media