title: Investigation of bacterial microorganisms in the conjunctival sac of clinically normal dogs and dogs with ulcerative keratitis in Beijing, China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the bacterial microorganisms in the conjunctival sac of clinically normal dogs and dogs with ulcerative keratitis in Beijing, China. The effect of breed, sex and age of dogs and season on the presence or absence of bacteria in the conjunctival sac of clinically normal dogs was evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  This investigation included 240 healthy dogs, 27 dogs with unilateral corneal ulcer and one dog with bilateral corneal ulcer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 480 samples from healthy dogs and the 29 samples from dogs with ulcerative keratitis were incubated in an aerobic and 5% CO2 environment at 37 degrees C for 48 h. Logistic regression analysis was performed. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.01.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 480 normal eyes, Staphylococcus spp. were the most frequently isolated organisms (40.29%). Neisseria spp. (11.47%) were the next most frequently isolated organisms, followed by Corynebacterium spp. (9.4%). Of 29 eyes with ulcerative keratitis, Staphylococcus spp. were also the most frequently isolated bacteria (47.06%). Streptococcus spp. (12.94%) and Pseudomonas spp. (8.24%) were the second and third, respectively. Season (P = 0.002) was a significant factor influencing presence or absence of bacterial microorganisms in the conjunctival sac of normal dogs in Beijing, China, while the effects of breed (P = 0.095), sex (P = 0.588) and age (P = 0.866) of dogs were insignificant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Staphylococcus spp. were the most frequently isolated organisms, and S. intermedius predominated in the conjunctival sac of clinically normal dogs and dogs with ulcerative keratitis in Beijing, China. The likelihood of detecting bacteria depends on the season.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agriculture University, Beijing, China. wanglivet@163.com
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qingshan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Libo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Changming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Qi
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000382:microbiology*; D003320:Corneal Ulcer / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D004285:Dogs / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009343:Neisseria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification*