title: [Comparison of two transportation media for study of normal individual conjunctival microbiota].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the microbiological profile of normal microbiota of healthy people obtained from conjunctival smear using dry swab in Stuart's transport medium and wet swab transported in test tube sealed with cotton.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective study with random samples, performed at the Departments of Ophthalmology and Pathology of Santa Casa Misericórdia de São Paulo, in August of 2006. Eighty normal eyes of 40 healthy individuals were analyzed. Samples were collected in the right eye with a dry swab and stored in Stuart's medium, where all microbiological material is kept immersed in the medium and the tube is hermetically sealed. In the left eye, the conjunctival material was collected using a swab embedded in saline solution 0.9%, and stored in dry and sterile test tubes sealed with cotton. The samples were analyzed within 2 hours at most after collection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 40 samples collected with wet swab and transported in dry tube, bacteria were observed in 10 (25%), whereas of 40 samples collected with dry swab and transported in Stuart's medium, 12 (30%) had bacteria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the microbiological profile of normal conjunctival microbiota using dry swab in Stuart's medium were statistically similar (p=0.85) to those obtained in wet swab in dry tube for spreading performed within 2 hours after collection of conjunctival specimen.
authors.affiliation: Santa Casa Misericórdia de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. dcnog9@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Daniel Cruz
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: Suely Mitoi Ykko
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Maria Aparecida Soares
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Murça
authors.forename: Wilson Takashi
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Hida
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Felberg
authors.forename: Leão
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Serruya
authors.forename: Richard Yudi
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Hida
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial / Q000379:methods; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000382:microbiology*; D003470:Culture Media; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media