title: Comparison of methods for identifying causative bacterial microorganisms in presumed acute endophthalmitis: conventional culture, blood culture, and PCR.
abstract: Identification of bacterial pathogens in endophthalmitis is important to inform antibiotic selection and treatment decisions. Hemoculture bottles and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis have been proposed to offer good detection sensitivity. This study compared the sensitivity and accuracy of a blood culture system, a PCR approach, and conventional culture methods for identification of causative bacteria in cases of acute endophthalmitis.
  
  
  
  Twenty-nine patients with a diagnosis of presumed acute bacterial endophthalmitis who underwent vitreous specimen collection at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital were enrolled in this study. Forty-one specimens were collected. Each specimen was divided into three parts, and each part was analyzed using one of three microbial identification techniques: conventional plate culture, blood culture, and polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. The results of the three methods were then compared.
  
  
  
  Bacteria were identified in 15 of the 41 specimens (36.5%). Five (12.2%) specimens were positive by conventional culture methods, 11 (26.8%) were positive by hemoculture, and 11 (26.8%) were positive by PCR. Cohen's kappa analysis revealed p-values for conventional methods vs. hemoculture, conventional methods vs. PCR, and hemoculture vs. PCR of 0.057, 0.33, and 0.009, respectively. Higher detection rates of Enterococcus faecalis were observed for hemoculture and PCR than for conventional methods.
  
  
  
  Blood culture bottles and PCR detection may facilitate bacterial identification in cases of presumed acute endophthalmitis. These techniques should be used in addition to conventional plate culture methods because they provide a greater degree of sensitivity than conventional plate culture alone for the detection of specific microorganisms such as E. faecalis.
  
  
  
  Thai Clinical Trial Register No. TCTR20110000024 .
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University; and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand. pear.p@chula.ac.th.
authors.forename: Pear
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2074-1629
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pongsachareonnont
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University; and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Worawalun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Honglertnapakul
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Tanittha
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chatsuwan
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D000071997:Blood Culture; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D009877:Endophthalmitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D015818:Eye Infections, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial
keywords: Bacterial detection; Blood culture; Conventional culture; Polymerase chain reaction; Presumed acute endophthalmitis