title: Bacterial growth in the conjunctival sac and the local defense of the outer eye.
abstract: 25 patients admitted for cataract surgery were subjected to conjunctival bacterial culturings preoperatively and during the postoperative observation period. Simultaneously lactoferrin (LF), lysozyme (LY) and secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) were measured in tears. The preoperative flora disclosed the growth of Staphylococcus albus (SA) and diphtheroids. Other species were only sporadically present. There was a significant rise in number of patients affected by SA and diphtheroids postoperatively (from 60 to 80%), whereas other bacteria were not present to any significant extent. LF, LY and s-IgA concentration decreased to about 50% of the preoperative level in the early postoperative period gradually returning towards their initial concentration. Correlating an antibacterial score with bacterial score we found a significant inverse relationship between the two (P less than 0.05).
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002387:Cataract Extraction; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000378:metabolism*; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000378:metabolism*; D007782:Lactoglobulins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009113:Muramidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D013666:Tears / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; D007782:Lactoglobulins; D009113:Muramidase; D007781:Lactoferrin