Open Access, Peer-reviewed
pISSN 2508-4887
eISSN 2508-4895
    Korean J Perinatol. 2015 Dec;26(4):299-304. Korean.
    Published online Dec 31, 2015.
    https://doi.org/10.14734/kjp.2015.26.4.299
    Copyright © 2015 The Korean Society of Perinatology
    Original Article

    Neonatal Bacterial Conjunctivitis: Pathogenic Distribution

    Seol Hee Ahn, M.D., Yeon Kyung Lee, M.D., Sun Young Ko, M.D. and Son Moon Shin, M.D.
      • Department of Pediatrics, Cheil General Hospital & Women's Health Care Center, Dankook University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
    • Correspondence to: Yeon Kyung Lee, M.D. Department of Pediatrics, Cheil General Hospital and Women's Healthcare Center, Dankook University College of Medicine, 1-19 Mukjeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul 04619, Korea. Tel: +82-2-2000-7771, Fax: +82-2-2000-7778, Email: ykleeped@hanmail.net
    Received September 18, 2015; Revised September 30, 2015; Accepted October 01, 2015.

    This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

    Abstract

    Purpose

    To study the causative microorganism of neonatal bacterial conjunctivitis and its correlation with maternal factors.

    Methods

    We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 55 neonates diagnosed with bacterial conjunctivitis and the records of mothers from January 2008 to July 2013. We investigated microbiologic culture of conjunctival discharge, time of occurrence, the mode of delivery, premature rupture of membrane (PROM), microbiologic culture of vaginal swab and the sensitivities to antibiotics.

    Results

    The most common organism was Staphylococcus epidermidis, isolated in 24 (36.4%) neonates, followed by other Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) 10 (15.2%), E. cloacae 6 (9.1%), S. marsescens 6 (9.1%), and P. aeruginosa 5 (7.6%). Concerning the time of occurrence, 23 (41.8%) were founded with conjunctivitis within 1 week of life. By mode of delivery, 18 (32.7%) were delivered through vaginal route and 37 (67.3%) delivered by Cesarean section. The most common organism grown in conjunctival discharge of both group was S. epidermidis. Of these 55 neonates' mothers, 9 (16.4%) had history of PROM. Regardless of the presence of PROM, the most common organism was S. epidermidis. A total of 22 (40.0%) microbiologic culture of vaginal swab were examined and 6 (27.2%) of them had detected organisms. The results of vaginal swabs were in discord with results of conjunctival swabs of neonates.

    Conclusion

    S. epidermidis was the most common infectious organism of neonatal bacterial conjunctivitis. We could not identify the correlation between neonatal bacterial conjunctivitis and maternal factors. Further comprehensive studies are needed to investigate the risk factors related to bacterial conjunctivitis of neonates.

    Keywords
    Bacterial conjunctivitis; Staphylococcus epidermidis; Neonates

    Tables

    Table 1
    Clinical Features of Neonatal Bacterial Conjunctivitis (N=55)

    Table 2
    Organisms grown in Conjunctival Swabs

    Table 3
    Distribution of Organisms based on Timing of Diagnosis

    Table 4
    Distribution of Organisms based on Mode of Delivery

    Table 5
    Organisms grown in Vaginal Swabs of Mother (N=22)

    References

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    MeSH Terms
    Anti-Bacterial Agents
    Cesarean Section
    Cloaca
    Conjunctivitis
    Conjunctivitis, Bacterial*
    Female
    Humans
    Infant, Newborn
    Medical Records
    Membranes
    Mothers
    Pregnancy
    Retrospective Studies
    Risk Factors
    Rupture
    Staphylococcus
    Staphylococcus epidermidis
    Metrics
    Share
    Tables
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