New Possibilities of Antibiotic Therapy for Blepharoconjunctivitis in Children

The problem of drug therapy for bacterial eye infections in children has remained relevant for many years. The greatest interest of ophthalmologists in recent years is associated with the use of fluoroquinolones in the treatment of inflammatory eye diseases of the bacterial etiology. At the same time, new ophthalmic dosage forms of fluoroquinolones that have appeared in recent years naturally require additional research on their effectiveness.Objective: to study the clinical efficacy of the antibacterial drug Oftocypro (0.3 % cyprofloxacin in ophthalmic ointment) in the treatment of chronic blepharoconjunctivitis in children.Materials. The study involved 38 children aged 3 to 18 years (mean age 10.3 ± 2.7 years) with clinical manifestations of blepharoconjunctivitis. All patients were divided into 2 groups of equal size: 18 children (36 eyes) — with bacterial blepharoconjunctivitis and 20 (40) — with chlamydial blepharoconjunctivitis. The diagnosis was verified based on the clinical picture of blepharoconjunctivitis and laboratory data: detection of pathogenic microflora in the conjunctival cavity of patients of the first group and chlamydia antigen — in epithelial cells in scraping material from the conjunctiva by immunohistochemical analysis.Results. The analysis of the data obtained during the examination and treatment of children with blepharoconjunctivitis of bacterial etiology (group I), a reliable dynamics of controlled clinical and laboratory parameters was established. There was a significant positive dynamics of all controlled parameters of the clinical course of chronic bacterial blepharoconjunctivitis against the background of the drug Oftocipro ophthalmic ointment 0.3 % use. All children with chronic chlamydial blepharoconjunctivitis with the background of treatment with Oftocypro, ophthalmic ointment 0.3 %, showed a steady tendency towards relief of the estimated clinical signs of the disease. According to the results of laboratory studies, it was found that on the 28th day of treatment with Oftocypro chlamydia in the cells of the epithelium of the conjunctiva was re-detected in 4 out of 20 patients (20 %).Conclusion. The high efficacy of the drug Oftocypro ophthalmic ointment 0.3 %, in combination with the absence of pronounced side effects, makes it possible to recommend this drug for wider practical use.

Microbial Analysis of Contact Lenses

Introduction: Contact lenses are small, thin lenses which are worn directly on the surface of the eyes. They can be worn aesthetically or to correct vision. Contact lens related eye infections can lead to serious complications such as blindness, and are associated with several risk factors such as sleeping with lenses, exposure to water, not adhering to replacement schedules, and reusing disinfecting solutions, among others. The severity of the infection may vary with the degree of pathogenicity of the microorganism. Hygiene and handling of contact lenses play a very important role. The main aim of this study is to assess the microbial analysis of contact lenses. Materials and Methods: A total of 15 lenses were collected in 2 ml sterile saline solution individually and manually agitated for five minutes. The lens was then removed using a sterile toothpick from the container. The sterile container was stored at 4°C till it was processed. 50 microliter of the sample was transferred using a pipette and inoculated on nutrient agar, blood agar and sabouraud dextrose agar. The microorganism (fungus or bacteria) were identified by standard protocol. Results and Discussion: Bacillus, Staphylococcus aureus and CONS [Coagulase Negative Staphylococci] were found in blood agar. No fungal growth was found among the samples. More importance could be given to contact lenses handling and hygiene to avoid eye related bacterial and fungal infections. Conclusion: In the present study, the total CFU (Colony Forming Unit) was found to be confluent in all the participants who wore contact lenses for 4 months compared to those who have worn contact lenses from 15 and 28 days. Only bacterial growth was seen in the culture plate. There was no fungal growth seen from the samples collected.

Study of Microbial Contamination of Some Commercial Contact Lens Solutions

Sixty samples of commercially available contact lens solutions were collected from students at the Pharmacy College/Baghdad University. The types of lenses used varied from medical to cosmetic. They were cultured to diagnose any microbial contamination within the solutions. Both used and unused solutions were subject for culturing. Thirty six (60%) used samples showed bacterial growth, fungal growth was absent. Pseudomonas aeruginosa accounts for the highest number of isolates (25%) followed by E. coli (21%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (6.6%), Pseudomonas fluorescence (5%) and Proteus mirabilis (1.6%) respectively. Only one (1) unused (sealed) sample showed growth of P. fluorescence. These bacterial contamination likely came from bad personal hygiene and improper or misuse of the solutions where these bacteria especially P. aeruginosa are frequently found in various environments from skin to solid materials and surfaces and are known to thrive in harsh environments. No relation was found between eye associated diseases and solution contamination among contact lens users. Special care should be paid in maintaining aseptic solutions and proper handling to avoid transmitting harmful bacteria to the eye where it may lead to serious eye infections

Delayed-onset post-operative keratitis and endophthalmitis caused by Exophiala oligosperma

A case of delayed-onset post-cataract-surgery keratitis and endophthalmitis, caused by the melanin-producing fungus Exophiala oligosperma, is presented. The patient presented with an infection at the corneal side-port wound 5 months after an uneventful phacoemulsification surgery. Despite pars plana vitrectomy and combination antifungal treatment, the patient required an evisceration of the globe. Limited clinical information is available about the treatment of eye infections caused by this organism.

A Review on the Stingless Beehive Conditions and Parameters Monitoring using IoT and Machine Learning

One of the stingless bee types named Heterotrigona Itama are widespread in the tropics and subtropics especially in Malaysia. Due to its excellent nutritional content, stingless bee honey has gained favour in recent years. According to some studies, stingless bee honey has been used to cure eye infections, open wounds, diabetes, hypertension, and a variety of other diseases. Additionally, this stingless bee is non-venomous and smaller in size than common bees. Nevertheless, beekeepers may encounter a number of obstacles that may result in colony failure and under-production. These problems can be attributed to a variety of factors such as surrounding temperature, surrounding humidity and predators. Numerous stingless bee colonies and other bee species lost in 2006 due to Colony Collapse Disorder as a result of this problem. Therefore, this article will review previous research on optimizing stingless beehive conditions via the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning to minimise this issue. To begin, a review of existing research on the characteristics of stingless bees, particularly the Heterotrigona Itama species, has been conducted to understand the natural habitat of Heterotrigona Itama. Following that, the articles on colony division was reviewed in order to transition the colony from the conventional hive to the artificial hive which also reviewed its design from the past article to simplify the sensors installation, IoT monitoring system and honey harvesting. Then, the prior article on sensors and IoT deployment was examined to monitor and analysis the data online without disturbing the colony activity inside the beehives. Finally, the article on the application of machine learning with the beehive dataset was reviewed the most precise and accurate machine learning method to predict the existence of bee activity in the hives and the future condition of beehive.

Evaluation of Antibiotic Sensitivity Test against Ophthalmic Pathogens

Ophthalmic infections can cause damage to the structure of the eye which can lead to vision loss and blindness if left untreated. Ophthalmic infection or eye infections are caused by exposure to bacterial, fungal viral and protozoan are common with frequently reported in Asian countries. In the present study, the external ocular infected samples collected from Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, Thanjavur. Seven strains were isolated from the external ocular infected samples and identified a standard manual of Determinative Bacteriology by Bergy’s manual 12th edition. The commercial antibiotics and eye drops tested against Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella sp. Pseudomonas sp. Streptococcus sp. and Staphylococcus aureus. The majority of the isolates were sensitive to tobramycin followed by moxifloxacin, gatifloxacin and ofloxacin. The resistant antibiotics are ciprofloxin and sensitive antibiotic was ampicillin was recorded with respective bacteria.

Bacterial conjunctivitis (literature review)

The article is devoted to bacterial conjunctivitis. The review of scientific works on this problem presents the clinic, diagnosis and comprehensive treatment of this ophthalmopathology. At the same time, much attention is paid to antibiotic therapy of bacterial conjunctivitis. A special place in it is occupied by antibiotic fluoroquinolones, which have a wide spectrum of action, including gram-positive and gram-negative causative agents of eye infections, and can be considered the drugs of first choice in bacterial conjunctivitis, especially resistant to other antibiotics. Key words: bacterial conjunctivitis, clinic, diagnosis, treatment.

Bacillus cereus from refulgent corneal ulcer: A case report

A Gram-positive spore forming bacilli, aerobe or facultative anaerobe is . It is ubiquitous which disperse in the environment. is a potential pathogen accountable for fulminant human infectious disease and hardly ever contribute to eye infections. A 35-year-old farmer came to ophthalmology OPD on February 2019, and the patient complained of acute onset left eye pain with diminution of vision. There was history of eye injury by the vegetation (thorn). There was presence of corneal ulcer. The patient was not immunocompromised.Corneal scrapping was collected from left eye. On Gram staining from corneal scrapping only two Gram positive bacilli, with occasional pus cell and fibrinous exudate was seen. Culture on blood agar medium it showed beta haemolytic, about 2-5 mm in diameter, big flat, irregular edges and greyish white colonies which were oval, slightly granular but not dry. On Mac -Conkey agar medium it showed non lactose fermenting, big flat, irregular colonies.From colonies Gram staining showed Gram positive bacilli with spore. They were motile, catalase positive, oxidase positive, reduced nitrate to nitrite and were resistant to penicillin. The identification was also confirmed by Vitek. This case highlights the importance of cultivation, detection and antibiotic susceptibility test rather than treating patients with ocular infection empirically.

Role of Antifungal Combinations in Difficult to Treat Candida Infections

Candida infections are varied and, depending on the immune status of the patient, a life-threatening form may develop. C. albicans is the most prevalent species isolated, however, a significant shift towards other Candida species has been noted. Monotherapy is frequently indicated, but the patient’s evolution is not always favorable. Drug combinations are a suitable option in specific situations. The aim of this review is to address this problem and to discuss the role of drug combinations in difficult to treat Candida infections. A search for eligible studies in PubMed and Google Scholar databases was performed. An analysis of the data was carried out to define in which cases a combination therapy is the most appropriate. Combination therapy may be used for refractory candidiasis, endocarditis, meningitis, eye infections and osteomyelitis, among others. The role of the drug combination would be to increase efficacy, reduce toxicity and improve the prognosis of the patient in infections that are difficult to treat. More clinical studies and reporting of cases in which drug combinations are used are needed in order to have more data that support the use of this therapeutic strategy.