title: [Bacterial profiles in conjunctival sac of dry eyes and normal eyes in middle- and old-aged Yi populations].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the bacterial profiles in conjunctival sac of dry eyes and normal eyes in Yi people aged 40 years or old.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was conducted with standardized training and protocol. A total of 140 dry eyes of 70 individuals from Yi people in Jiulong county underwent ophthalmological examinations. The secretions of the inferior palpebral conjunctival sac were embrocated and inoculated on blood plates for 48 hours. The bacteria were separated and identified. Another 132 normal eyes from 66 Yi individuals were examined as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bacterial positive cultivations were found in 72.1% (101/140) of dry eyes and 67.4% (89/132) of normal eyes, respectively. The difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.397). No gender difference in the bacterial positive rates was found either. Gram-positive bacteria were the main bacteria in both dry eyes (95.2%, 98/103) and normal eyes (91.1%, 82/90), predominantly staphylococcus epidemids and corynebacterium. There were no statistical differences in the constituents of bacteria in Gram classification and numbers of bacteria between dry eyes and normal eyes (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The bacterial profile in conjunctival sac of dry eyes is similar to that of normal eyes in Yi people aged 40 years or over. Gram-positive bacteria are the main bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science, Sichuan Provincial Peoples' Hospital, Chengdu 610072, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhi-Rong
authors.initials: ZR
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ying-Chuan
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Duo
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Guang-Jin
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yu-Chan
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dan-Ba
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Jiachu
authors.forename: Ge-Ma
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Zewang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000382:microbiology*; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000302:isolation & purification