title: Causes of conjunctivitis and keratoconjunctivitis in Karachi, Pakistan.
abstract: The causes of conjunctivitis and keratoconjunctivitis in 388 patients who attended eye casualty departments in Karachi, Pakistan, during a 5 month period were investigated. Most of these infections were diagnosed as adenovirus (291, 75%) or bacterial (71, 18.3%). Of the remainder, 9 cases (2.3%) were caused by herpes simplex virus and 7 (1.8%) by Chalmydia trachomatis. There was no evidence of typical active trachoma in this urban population. Bacteria or Candida albicans were also grown from 44 of the adenovirus cases (15%). Many of the bacteria grown from eyes in this study were resistant to antibiotics, probably because of inadequate and/or inappropriate self-medication with antibiotics in this community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Ophthalmology, Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Woodland
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Darougar
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Thaker
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cornell
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siddique
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wania
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shah
mesh_terms: D000258:Adenovirus Infections, Human / Q000150:complications; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000150:complications; D003234:Conjunctivitis, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D003236:Conjunctivitis, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007639:Keratoconjunctivitis, Infectious / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology