Post-operative endophthalmitis: Antibiogram & genetic relatedness between Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from patients & phacoemulsifiers.
OBJECTIVE
Though not frequently but there are reports showing phacoemulsifiers as a potent source of infection in post-operative cases of endophthalmitis. This study was carried out to find antibiogram and genetic relatedness between Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from a post-cataract surgery endophthalmitis outbreak (3 patients) and internal tubings of 5 phacoemulsifiers.


METHODS
In vitro antimicrobial sensitivity patterns of the 8 bacterial isolates were observed. Genetic analysis of the bacterial isolates was done using random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay and PCR ribotyping. The resulting DNA band patterns were examined visually and by computer assisted analysis using unweighted pair group method.


RESULTS
The three P. aeruginosa patient isolates were found to be different from the five phacoemulsifier isolates in sensitivity towards 3 antibiotics and by genetic analysis (33 and 44% homology by RAPD assay and PCR ribotyping). Two of the patient isolates shared 100 per cent genetic homology by RAPD assay and another pair shared 100 per cent homology by PCR ribotyping. The five isolates from phacoemulsifiers did not share significant genetic homology. There was significant genetic variation between bacterial isolates from patients and phaco emulsifiers.


CONCLUSIONS
Though the three P. aeruginosa isolates obtained from the patients were phenotypically similar and genetically close, they differed from the phaco-machine isolates both genetically, and in their antibiogram profile. However, the five phacoemulsifier isolates were genetically diverse though they shared the same antibiogram profile. Therefore the Ringer's lactate from phacomachines could not be conclusively proven to be the source of infection.
Satpathy
Gita
G
Department of Ocular Microbiology, Dr R.P. Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. gita.satpathy@gmail.com
Patnayak
Dipika
D
Titiyal
Jeewan Singh
JS
Nayak
Niranjan
N
Tandon
Radhika
R
Sharma
Namrata
N
Vajpayee
Rasik Behari
RB
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D009877:Endophthalmitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents