title: Bacterial and fungal endophthalmitis in upper Egypt: related species and risk factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study risk factors, contributing factors of bacterial and fungal endophthalmitis in Upper Egypt, test the isolated species sensitive to some therapeutic agents, and to investigate the air-borne bacteria and fungi in opthalmology operating rooms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty one cases of endophthalmitis were clinically diagnosed and microbiologically studied. Indoor air-borne bacteria and fungi inside four air-conditioned operating rooms in the Ophthalmology Department at Assiut University Hospitals were also investigated. The isolated microbes from endophthalmitis cases were tested for their ability to produce some extracellular enzymes including protease, lipase, urease, phosphatase and catalase. Also the ability of 5 fungal isolates from endophthalmitis origin to produce mycotoxins and their sensitivity to some therapeutic agents were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results showed that bacteria and fungi were responsihle for infection in 10 and 6 cases of endophthalmitis, respectively and only 2 cases produced a mixture of bacteria and fungi. Trauma was the most prevalent risk factor of endophthalmitis where 58.1% of the 31 cases were due to trauma. In ophthalmology operating rooms, different bacterial and fungal species were isolated. 8 bacterial and 5 fungal isolates showed their ability to produce enzymes while only 3 fungal isolates were able to produce mycotoxins. Terbinafine showed the highest effect against most isolates in vitro.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ability of bacterial and fungal isolates to produce extracellular enzymes and mycotoxins may be aid in the invasion and destruction of eye tissues. Microbial contamination of operating rooms with air-borne bacteria and fungi in the present work may be a source of postoperative endophthalmitis.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Pinang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Gharamah
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Moharram
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Al-Hussaini
mesh_terms: D000391:Air Microbiology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D060085:Coinfection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D009877:Endophthalmitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D004798:Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D009181:Mycoses / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000378:metabolism; D009873:Operating Rooms; D012307:Risk Factors; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D004798:Enzymes; D009183:Mycotoxins; D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: Bacterial; Endophthalmitis; Fungal; Ophthalmic surgery; Risk factors; Trauma; Upper Egypt