Microbial keratitis in los angeles: the doheny eye institute and the los angeles county hospital experience.

Abstract

To evaluate the spectrum and antibiotic susceptibility panel of infectious keratitis at a major tertiary care referral eye center and a major county hospital in Southern California. Retrospective case series. All cultured infectious keratitis cases from July 1, 2008, through December 31, 2012, from the Doheny Eye Institute (DEI) and the Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center (LAC+USC) were evaluated. Microbiology records were reviewed retrospectively. Microbial isolates as well as antibiotic susceptibility patterns were analyzed. One hundred eighty-four (63%) of 290 cases showed positive culture results at DEI and 152 (82%) of 186 cases showed positive culture results at LAC+USC. Gram-positive pathogens were found to be the most common at both DEI (70%) and LAC+USC (68%), with coagulase-negative Staphylococcus being the most common gram-positive organism (58% at DEI and 44% at LAC+USC). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common gram-negative organism (57% at DEI and 43% at LAC+USC). Ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin susceptibility for all tested pathogens was 73% at DEI and 81% at LAC+USC (P = 0.16). Oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA) was found in 42% of cases at DEI and in 45% of cases at LAC+USC (P = 1.00). There is no significant difference in the spectrum of pathogens or antibiotic susceptibility of pathogens at DEI versus LAC+USC, and ORSA was found in approximately half of all S. aureus samples.