Abstract

Background: The eye may become infected from the outside or as a result of bloodstream-borne germs invading the eye. In this work, particular bacterial and fungal pathogens that cause eye infections were isolated, identified, and their antibiotic susceptibilities were assessed. This research was done to find the bacterial and fungal pathogens that cause eye infections, isolate and identify them, and find out how susceptible they are to antibiotics in vitro.
Methods: All of the participants in the current study had slit lamp bio-microscopy examinations, and an ophthalmologist made a clinical diagnosis based on accepted practises. The various ocular tissues were collected for specimens for smear and culture after thorough ocular examinations utilizing conventional methods. The samples were examined under a microscope directly using techniques like Gram staining, and biochemical reactions performed were catalase test, coagulase test Motility test, Indole test, Citrate utilisation test, Urea Hydrolysis test, and sugar fermentation tests.
Results: In vitreous and corneal specimens, growth was observed in n=20 (32.25%) of the n=26 (41.93%) instances that were found to be positive by direct microscopy (KOH mount with Calcofluor White staining), while no growth was found in n=6 cases. Out of n=36 (58.06%) cases that were negative on direct microscopy, growth was seen in n=2 (5.55%) cases, whereas no growth was seen on culture in the remaining n=34(94.44%) cases. Direct microscopy had a sensitivity of 80.12% and a specificity of 79.61%.  Out of total n=20 fungal isolates found n=15 cases were from corneal scrapings which yielded Aspergillus sp. In n=6, Penicillium sp. n=5 Candida albicans n=2 and Fusarium sp. n=2 and the one mixed growth of candida along with Coagulase negative staphylococcus.
Conclusion: Emerging drug resistance is a matter of serious concern and hence all ophthalmological samples must be analysed as thoroughly as possible for antimicrobial resistance due to the increase of antibiotic resistance. Ophthalmologists must adhere to the etiologic approach to diagnosis and consider risk reduction in order to lessen the burden of ocular infections.