title: Conjunctival Flora in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Individuals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the conjunctival bacterial flora in diabetic patients and nondiabetic subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-three diabetic patients and 43 nondiabetic healthy individuals were included in the study. A specimen was taken from each participant for the study by rubbing a sterile cotton-tipped swab on the inferior palpebral conjunctiva of the right eye. Samples were incubated in blood agar, chocolate agar, eosin methylene-blue lactose sucrose agar and sabouraud 4% dextrose agar. Isolated microorganisms were identified using routine microbiological methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Rates for bacterial isolations were determined as 38.5% in diabetic patients and 34.9% in nondiabetic controls. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in 30% of cases in the diabetic patient group, while 20% tested positive for Escherichia coli, 10% for coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, 10% for Klebsiella pneumoniae and 30% for multiple bacteria. In the non-diabetic group, 53.3% of patients were positive for Staphylococcus aureus while coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was isolated in 26.7%, Klebsiella pneumoniae in 6.7% and multiple bacteria in 13.3% of patients. Although there was no statistically significant difference in the number of isolated bacteria between the diabetic and nondiabetic groups, gram-negative bacterial colonization was significantly higher in diabetic patients (χ2=0.129, p=0.719 and χ2=5.60, p=0.018, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gram-negative bacteria are more common in the conjunctival flora of diabetic patients. This should be considered by clinicians when treating ocular infections in diabetic patients.
authors: Bozok University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Yozgat, Turkey.
authors: Mehmet
authors: M
authors: Adam
authors: İzzet Baysal State Hospital, Clinic of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, Bolu, Turkey.
authors: Mehmet
authors: M
authors: Balcı
authors: Bozok University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Yozgat, Turkey.
authors: Hasan Ali
authors: HA
authors: Bayhan
authors: Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Infectious Disease and Clinical Microbiology, Ankara, Turkey.
authors: Ahmet Çağkan
authors: AÇ
authors: İnkaya
authors: Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Konya, Turkey.
authors: Mehmet
authors: M
authors: Uyar
authors: Bozok University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Yozgat, Turkey.
authors: Canan
authors: C
authors: Gürdal
keywords: Conjunctival flora; diabetes mellitus; gram-negative bacteria