Microbiological Profile of Ulcerative Keratitis in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Introduction: Microbial keratitis is a common potentially sight threatening ocular infection that may be caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses or parasites. The concept of ocular pathogen is outmoded. Given the optimal condition any organism can cause keratitis. Microbiological evaluation is crucial in differentiating infectious from non infectious inflammatory conditions of the cornea. Material & Methods: 100 consequent suppurative corneal ulcer cases were studied. Corneal scrapings were collected and subjected for examination by Grams stain, 10% KOH, bacterial and fungal culture. Antibiotic susceptibility of the bacterial pathogens was performed by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Results: Of the 100 patients studied, 77% were from rural areas and 54% presented with ocular trauma. Direct microscopy was positive in 48% and culture in 67% cases. 67.17% were bacterial, 25.37% were fungal, 7.5% polymicrobial and no Acanthamoeba were identified. CONS, S. aureus, Ps. aeruginosa were the common bacterial isolates and Fusarium spp was the predominant fungal isolate. Ciprofloxacin was the most effective antibiotic. Conclusion: Suppurative keratitis being a sight threatening disorder, early suspicion, rational use of laboratory diagnostic procedures and appropriate therapy can go a long way towards reducing ocular damage.