[In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of coagulase negative staphylococcal ocular isolates].
OBJECTIVE
To assess the in vitro susceptibility of conjunctival and corneal coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) to methicillin, fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides.


METHODS
A total of 707 conjunctival and corneal CoNS disk diffusion test results were retrospectively analyzed, from January 2000 through December 2003.


RESULTS
From 2000 to 2003, there was an increase in number of CoNS isolated from conjunctiva (n=57 to n=153) and cornea (n=28 to n=78). The frequency of conjunctival and corneal methicillin-resistant CoNS also increased (1.8 to 19.6% and 14.3 to 29.3%, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between fluoroquinolones-resistant CoNS percentages in conjunctiva (ofloxacin: 1.8 to 7.8% and ciprofloxacin: 3.5 to 9.2%) and cornea (ofloxacin: 14.3 to 9.0% and ciprofloxacin: 14.3 to 10.3%). Evaluating the results of the conjunctival samples, there was increased resistance to tobramycin (15.8 to 34.0%) and to gentamycin (10.5 to 25.5%). There was no change in resistance of corneal isolates to tobramycin (28.6 to 26.9%) and to gentamycin (21.4 to 23.1%).


CONCLUSIONS
there was a decrease in in vitro CoNS susceptibility to methicillin, tobramycin and gentamycin. Fuoroquinolones represented by ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin demonstrated stable in vitro susceptibility.
Azevedo Gayoso
Maria de Fátima
Mde F
Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. fatimagayoso@hotmail.com
Oliveira
Adália Dias Dourado
AD
d'Azevedo
Pedro Alves
PA
Yu
Maria Cecília Zorat
MC
Höfling-Lima
Ana Luisa
AL
Francisco
Waldemar
W
D000617:Aminoglycosides / Q000494:pharmacology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003231:Conjunctivitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D052978:Disk Diffusion Antimicrobial Tests; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D024841:Fluoroquinolones / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007634:Keratitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D013997:Time Factors
D000617:Aminoglycosides; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D024841:Fluoroquinolones