Antibiotic susceptibility in Endophthalmitis Management Study and intravitreal antibiotic practice trend in India-EMS Report #5.

AIM: Analyze antibiotic susceptibility in the Endophthalmitis Management Study (EMS) and compare it with the current intravitreal antibiotic practice trend of members of the Vitreoretinal Society of India (VRSI) practicing in India. METHODS: The microbiology work-up of undiluted vitreous included microscopy, culture-susceptibility, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and next-generation sequencing (NGS). VRSI members were invited to the survey. The EMS conventional culture-susceptibility (PCR and NGS excluded) results were compared vis-a-vis gram-positive cocci (GPC), gram-negative bacilli (GNB), and less commonly used antibiotics with the current recommended intravitreal antibiotics. p < 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Culture and positivity (culture + PCR/NGS) positivity was 28.8% and 56.1%, respectively. GPC was most susceptible to cefazolin, linezolid, and vancomycin; GNB was most susceptible to amikacin, ceftazidime, colistin, and imipenem. There was no susceptibility difference between cefazolin and vancomycin (p = 0.999) and between ceftazidime and imipenem (p = 1.0). Colistin was superior to ceftazidime (p = 0.047) against GNB. The GNB resistant to amikacin (n = 14) were equally susceptible to ceftazidime and colistin; resistant to ceftazidime (n = 16) were susceptible to colistin; and resistant to colistin (n = 7) were susceptible to ceftazidime. The preference of VRSI members (n = 231) practicing in India was a vancomycin-ceftazidime combination (82%), vancomycin for GPC (94%), ceftazidime for GNB (61%), and voriconazole for fungi (74%). CONCLUSION: In EMS, GPC had good susceptibility to vancomycin; GNB had good susceptibility to ceftazidime and colistin. Given the lower resistance of colistin, a vancomycin-colistin combination could be an alternative empiric treatment in post-cataract endophthalmitis in India.

THE CLINICAL VALUE OF ß-D-GLUCAN TESTING AND NEXT-GENERATION METAGENOMIC SEQUENCING FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF FUNGAL ENDOPHTHALMITIS.

PURPOSE: To explore the clinical value of ß-D-glucan (BDG) testing and metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for detecting the pathogens of fungal endophthalmitis (FE). METHODS: This study included 32 cases (32 eyes) with FE and 20 cases (20 eyes) with intraocular inflammation caused by other etiologies. All patients underwent extraction of aqueous humor or vitreous fluid samples for BDG testing and mNGS. The diagnostic performance and total clinical concordance rate of BDG testing and mNGS for FE were evaluated and calculated based on the results of the clinical diagnosis. RESULTS: Among the clinically diagnosed FE, the positivity rates of BDG testing and mNGS (90.63%) were both significantly higher ( P < 0.001) than that of microbial cultures (53.13%). There was 100% consistency in pathogen identification using mNGS and culture identification for culture-positive cases. The area under the curve was 0.927 for BDG testing and 0.853 for mNGS. When the two tests were combined, sensitivity (93.75%), specificity (100.00%), and total clinical concordance rate (96.15%) were all improved, compared with the single tests. CONCLUSION: The positive rates of BDG test and mNGS were markedly higher than those of cultures in FE identification. The combination of these two tests showed improved performance when compared with individual tests.

EXAMINATION OF GALACTOMANNAN LEVELS IN INTRAOCULAR FLUID TO ASSIST THE DIAGNOSIS OF ASPERGILLUS ENDOPHTHALMITIS.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the utility of galactomannan testing of intraocular fluid in the diagnosis of Aspergillus endophthalmitis (AE). METHODS: This retrospective study enrolled three groups of patients, including those with 17 eyes with AE; 20 eyes with intraocular infection of bacteria, viruses, or other fungi; and 19 eyes with cataract. Intraocular fluid from all these patients was collected for galactomannan testing. In addition, the receiver operating characteristic curves and diagnostic significance were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean optical density index (ODI) of galactomannan was 5.77 ± 1.73 in the AE group, which was significantly higher than that in the non- Aspergillus intraocular infection group (0.19 ± 0.11, P < 0.001) and the negative control group (0.29 ± 0.27, P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (area under the curve) was 1.00 (95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.00; P < 0.001) in the AE group and the other two groups. At a cutoff optical density index of 1.88, the sensitivity and specificity were 100.0% and 100.0%, respectively, and the Youden index reached its highest value of 1.00. CONCLUSION: Galactomannan testing of intraocular fluid indicated good sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of AE, thereby promising a rapid diagnostic modality for AE.

Cases of endophthalmitis caused by Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis identified via internal transcribed spacer deep sequencing.

BACKGROUND: We report two cases of fungal endophthalmitis induced by Candida species identified based on internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) sequencing. CASE PRESENTATION: In two cases, endophthalmitis was suspected, and the patients underwent pars plana vitrectomy. Case 1 was a 64-year-old woman with a history of cataract surgery 10 days prior. She had a history of anal primary melanoma, which metastasized throughout the body and subsequently relapsed. Vitreous culture and ITS-1 deep sequencing revealed the presence of the rare fungus, Candida dubliniensis. Case 2 was a 54-year-old man with a history of liver cancer and kidney failure. Culture methods and ITS1 deep sequencing both revealed the presence of Candida albicans. Both patients exhibited good visual prognoses after treatment with topical and systemic antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: We present two cases of fungal endophthalmitis caused by two Candida species identified by both the culture method and ITS1 deep sequencing. The fungal pathogen was identified by ITS deep sequencing three days after sample submission; the culture method yielded results after 1 week. These findings support the applicability of ITS1 sequencing for timely pathogen identification for cases of fungal endophthalmitis and provide detailed taxonomic information at the species level.

Clinical features, treatment and prognosis of patients with endogenous infectious endophthalmitis.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of endogenous infectious endophthalmitis (EIE) have changed over the past 5 years. METHODS: Retrospectively analyze all articles about EIE published in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase databases from 2017 to 2021. RESULTS: A total of 128 patients and 147 eyes (46 left and 60 right) were included in the study. The mean age at diagnosis was 51 ± 19 years. The most common risk factors were diabetes and intravenous drug use. From 2017 to 2021, Klebsiella was the most common pathogenic microorganism (22%), and vitreous culture had the highest positivity rate. The most common complaint was blurred vision. The mean visual acuity (logMAR) at onset was 2.84, and the clinical symptoms were vitreal inflammation and opacity (63%), ocular pain (37%), and conjunctival congestion (36%). The ocular inflammation could be reduced by intraocular antibiotics or vitrectomy. However, the visual prognosis, with a mean logMAR of 2.73; only 50% of the eyes reached a visual acuity level of finger count and above. Changes in diagnostics over the past 5 years have mainly manifested as more diverse microorganism culture methods. In addition to conventional culture methods, PCR, sputum culture and aqueous humour culture are also commonly used for the diagnosis of pathogenic bacteria, improving the positive culture rate and visual prognosis. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of EIE is poor. It is recommended to pay attention to the pathogenic bacteria culture results and accompanying systemic diseases and to diagnose and treat patients as soon as possible.

Clinical characteristics and management outcome of acute infectious endophthalmitis.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the demographics, clinical characteristics, and management outcomes of patients with acute infectious endophthalmitis (AIE). METHODS: This retrospective chart review was conducted on all patients admitted with the clinical diagnosis of infectious endophthalmitis from 2017 to 2022. Demographic data, patients' clinical characteristics, the type of acute infectious endophthalmitis (post-operative, post-traumatic, bleb-associated, and endogenous endophthalmitis), the type of surgical procedure in the post-operative cases, the microbiologic analysis results of vitreous samples, therapeutic measures, and visual outcomes of patients were recorded. RESULTS: In this study, 182 participants, including 122 male (67%) and 60 (33%) female, were involved. The mean age of patients was 54.56 ± 21 years, with a range of 1-88 years old. The most prevalent type of AIE was post-operative (59.9%), followed by endogenous (19.2%), post-traumatic (17%), and bleb-associated (3.8%). The most common type of intraocular surgery in the post-operative subgroups of AIE patients was phacoemulsification (57.8%). The median (interquartile range) of the primary and final BCVA of patients was 1.5 (1.35, 1.85) and 0.65 (0.35, 1.35), respectively. Vitreous haziness grade (OR, 2.89; 95% CI, 1.11-5.74; p = 0.009) and the primary VA (OR, 60.34; 95% CI, 2.87-126.8; p = 0.008) revealed statistical significance for final vision loss. CONCLUSION: AIE is a devastating condition with poor visual outcomes, which presents with acute inflammatory signs and symptoms regardless of its type. However, prompt and appropriate treatment leads to visual recovery to a functional level in many patients.

Intravitreal triple therapy with vancomycin, ceftazidime, and moxifloxacin for bacterial endophthalmitis: A Twelve-year experience.

PURPOSE: Increasing rates of antibiotic resistance in endophthalmitis have been reported. This study examines outcomes of triple therapy with intravitreal vancomycin, ceftazidime, and moxifloxacin for endophthalmitis. METHODS: Retrospective, consecutive series of all patients treated with abovementioned intravitreal antibiotics from January 2009 to June 2021. Percentages of eyes attaining greater than or equal to 20/200 and 20/50 Snellen visual acuities and adverse events were evaluated. RESULTS: 112 eyes met inclusion criteria. 63 of 112 eyes (56%) achieved a visual acuity of 20/200 during follow-up, with 39 (35%) returning to at least 20/50. In subgroup analysis, 23 of 24 (96%) eyes with post-cataract endophthalmitis obtained ≥ 20/200 acuity and 21 of 24 (88%) obtained ≥ 20/50 acuity during follow-up. There were no cases of macular infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal moxifloxacin (160 µg/0.1 mL) was well tolerated as an adjunct to vancomycin and ceftazidime for bacterial endophthalmitis. Use of this novel combination offers several theoretical advantages compared to standard therapy with two antibiotics, including expanded gram-negative coverage and potential synergy, and may be particularly valuable in geographies where the local antibiogram supports empiric use. Further study is merited to verify the safety and efficacy profile.

CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND VISUAL OUTCOMES IN ENDOPHTHALMITIS AFTER KERATOPROSTHESIS IMPLANTATION.

PURPOSE: To describe the presentation, microbiology, management, and prognosis of eyes with endophthalmitis after Boston keratoprosthesis implantation. METHODS: Retrospective case series with history, diagnostics, management, and outcomes data in endophthalmitis after keratoprosthesis implantation presenting to a tertiary center between 2009 and 2020. RESULTS: Of 137 keratoprosthesis-implanted eyes, 7 eyes of 7 patients (5%) developed endophthalmitis. On presentation, 6 (86%) reported decreased visual acuity, and only 1 (14%) reported pain. Peripheral corneal ulcers were present in 2 eyes (29%). Seidel testing was negative in all cases. Six eyes (86%) had retroprosthetic membranes. One (14%) underwent initial pars plana vitrectomy with mechanical vitreous biopsy, whereas 6 (86%) received a needle vitreous tap-half of which were dry. Organisms were isolated after vitreous tap in two eyes: Streptococcus intermedius and Mycobacterium abscessus. The mean visual acuity preendophthalmitis, at presentation, and at 6 months were 20/267, 20/5,944, and 20/734, respectively. The visual acuity improved 9.08 ± 11.78 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study lines from presentation to 6 months. Six-month visual acuity was correlated with preendophthalmitis visual acuity (r = 0.92, P = 0.003) but not presenting visual acuity (P = 0.838). CONCLUSION: Visual acuity at 6 months is correlated with preendophthalmitis visual acuity, not presenting visual acuity. Endophthalmitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of painless intraocular inflammation any time after keratoprosthesis implantation, even if Seidel negative.

Intravitreal injection of povidone-iodine for the treatment of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis endophthalmitis in rabbit eyes.

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of intravitreal povidone-iodine (PI) in the treatment of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE) endophthalmitis. Fifty New Zealand white rabbits were divided into 5 groups (n = 10 in each group). After the induction of endophthalmitis using VRE (minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] ≥ 40 µg/mL) in the right eye, Group A, B, C, and D received intravitreal injections of 0.1% PI, 0.3% PI, 0.05% vancomycin, and 0.5% vancomycin, respectively. Eyes in Group E were used as controls. Fundus photography, vitreous culture, electroretinography (ERG), and histologic examinations of the retina were conducted on day 14. A marked improvement in endophthalmitis was observed in Group A, B, C and D, compared to Group E. Fundus photographs showed mild vitreous opacities in Group A and B, and moderate vitreous opacity in Group C. All eyes in Group D had a clear vitreous. In vitreous culture, bacterial growth was found in 6 eyes (100, 200, 200, 400, 500, and 500 colony-forming units) in Group C, but not in Groups A, B, or D. ERG and histological examination also indicated intraocular damage in Group C. Our results show that intravitreal injection of PI, even at low concentrations, was effective for treatment of VRE endophthalmitis, although some vitreous opacity remained. Intravitreal vancomycin injection was also useful to treat resistant strains, if used at a higher concentration within the safety threshold.

ENDOGENOUS ENDOPHTHALMITIS IN THE SETTING OF COVID-19 INFECTION: A Case Series.

PURPOSE: To describe endogenous endophthalmitis in the setting of COVID-19 pneumonia. METHODS: Patients recovering from COVID-19 pneumonia who presented to our department with any or all of the following complaints: pain, watering, redness, and decreased vision were identified. All relevant data were collected for analysis. RESULTS: Three patients with endogenous endophthalmitis were identified. All patients had been treated for COVID-19 pneumonia and therefore had received remdesivir and systemic steroids; 2 of the 3 patients received tocilizumab. All patients received vitreous biopsy, vitrectomy, and intraocular antibiotic injection. Patient 1 demonstrated Klebsiella pneumoniae in blood culture, K. pneumoniae and Escherichia coli in urine culture, and K. pneumoniae in vitreous fluid, whereas Patients 2 and 3 demonstrated Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the blood and nasopharyngeal culture, respectively. Correspondingly, the same organism was cultured from vitreous in Patients 2 and 3. The visual acuity at the last follow-up in Patients 1 to 3 was 20/100, 20/80, and 20/40, respectively. The probable source of infection was identified in each as renal calculi, dental caries, and the pharynx, respectively. Real-time polymerase chain reaction demonstrated the presence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in the vitreous fluid of Patient 1. CONCLUSION: We report good outcomes of early intervention for endogenous endophthalmitis in the setting of COVID-19 infection. We also document the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in vitreous.

Surgery combined with antibiotics for the treatment of endogenous endophthalmitis caused by liver abscess.

BACKGROUNDS: Endogenous endophthalmitis is a serious disease caused by intraocular infection that can rapidly progress to cause blindness. This study evaluated the clinical features, surgical and antibiotics treatment strategies, and treatment outcomes in patients with endophthalmitis caused by liver abscess. METHODS: Between April 2014 and April 2019, the clinical data of 16 patients (19 eyes) with endophthalmitis associated with liver abscess who underwent surgery at Shengjing Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Furthermore, we evaluated the final visual outcomes in the patients to determine the efficacy of surgery. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (18 eyes) underwent intravitreal injection followed by vitrectomy after admission. One patient (1 eye) only underwent intravitreal injection. Of the 16 patients, 3 patients (3 eyes) had recurrent intraocular inflammation and eventually underwent evisceration. Systemic antibiotics were administered for all patients based on the results of vitreous humor culture, blood culture, and antibiotic susceptibility tests. Outpatient follow-ups were performed until the patients were stable (6 months). Of the 19 eyes, 1 eye (5%) had visual acuity restored to 20/200, 6 eyes (31%) had visual acuity restored to counting fingers (CF), 2 eyes (11%) had visual acuity restored to hand motion (HM), 4 eyes (22%) showed only light perception (LP), and the remaining 6 eyes (31%) showed no light perception (NLP). Drug susceptibility tests suggested that the carbapenems exhibited significant effects in the inflammatory reaction. CONCLUSION: Endogenous endophthalmitis caused by liver abscess is a very serious condition, and the final visual outcome is poor. Timely surgical intervention combined with antibiotic treatment is essential, and the primary disease must be treated to control disease progression at the earliest.

ENTEROCOCCUS ENDOPHTHALMITIS: Clinical Settings, Antimicrobial Susceptibility, and Management Outcomes.

PURPOSE: To report the clinical presentation and management outcome of patients with endophthalmitis caused by Enterococcus species and to report the susceptibility profile of the isolates. METHODS: Twenty-nine cases with culture-proven Enterococcus endophthalmitis from January 2005 to May 2018 underwent vitrectomy/vitreous biopsy, intravitreal antibiotic with or without additional procedures. The undiluted vitreous was subjected to microbiologic evaluation. A favorable anatomical outcome was defined as preservation of the globe, absence of hypotony, attached retina, and absence of active inflammation at the last visit. Favorable visual outcome was final visual acuity ≥20/400. RESULTS: There were 24 men (82.8%). Mean age at presentation was 32.89 ± 25.25 years (median 24 years). Inciting event was open globe injury in 18 (62%), endogenous in 5 (17.24%), postcataract surgery in 3 (10.34%), postscleral buckling in 2 (6.89%), and postkeratoplasty in 1 (3.44%). Enterococcus casseliflavus was the commonest species isolated (14/29, 48.27%) followed by E. faecalis (9/29, 31%). Susceptibility to vancomycin was seen in 27/29 isolates (93%). Visual acuity was ≤20/400 in all eyes at presentation and ≥20/400 in 10/29 cases (34.48%) at final visit. Anatomical success was seen in 18/29 eyes (62%). Corneal involvement was high at 24/29 eyes (82.75%). CONCLUSION: Enterococcus is not an uncommon organism in the setting of endophthalmitis after open globe injury. Resistance to vancomycin is rare. Multidrug resistance pattern is restricted to E. faecalis. Visual outcome is poor despite early and appropriate therapy due to inherent organism virulence.

CLINICAL PRESENTATIONS, DIAGNOSIS, AND MANAGEMENT OUTCOMES OF CURVULARIA ENDOPHTHALMITIS AND A REVIEW OF LITERATURE.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical presentation and management of Curvularia endophthalmitis and compare with previous published literature. METHODS: Retrospective interventional comparative case series and literature review. Eight cases with culture-proven Curvularia endophthalmitis from January 2000 to March 2018 underwent vitrectomy/vitreous biopsy, intravitreal antibiotic with or without additional procedures as appropriate. The undiluted vitreous biopsy was subjected to microbiologic evaluation. Pre-existing literature was reviewed, and the current outcomes were compared with them. The mean age at presentation, etiology, number of interventions, interval between inciting event and presentation, type of intravitreal antifungal used, anatomical, and the functional outcomes were reported and compared with pre-existing literature. A favorable anatomical outcome was defined as preservation of the globe, absence of hypotony, attached retina, and absence of active inflammation at the last visit. RESULTS: In the current series, there were 4 men and 4 women. Mean age at presentation was 34.5 ± 13.51 years (median 30 years). Inciting event was open-globe injury in five cases and cataract surgery, trabeculectomy, and endogenous cause in one case each. Presenting visual acuity was ≥20/400 in 3 cases at presentation and 5 cases at the last visit. One case with staphyloma and endophthalmitis underwent evisceration for a painful blind eye. The patients in the current series were much younger than those described previously. CONCLUSION: Presentation and diagnosis of Curvularia can be delayed especially in postoperative cases. Early and appropriate management with multiple interventions can result in an acceptable visual and anatomical outcome.

Endogenous Endophthalmitis: yield of the diagnostic evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Endogenous endophthalmitis is an infection of the eye secondary to sepsis, occurring in 0.04-0.5% of bacteremia or fungemia. Risk factors include intravenous drug abuse (IVDA), diabetes, indwelling catheters, and immune suppression. Many patients have known or suspected bacteremia or fungemia; however, culture yield is reported to be low (approximately 50%). The purpose of this study is to elucidate the yield of diagnostic evaluation including microbial cultures over a 6.5 year period at an academic center in the United States. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients with endogenous endophthalmitis at the University of Florida from June 2011 to February 2018. RESULTS: Included are 40 eyes of 35 patients. Endophthalmitis was secondary to an endogenous source in 23.5% of all endophthalmitis cases observed. Intraocular culture positivity was 28.6% overall but was 0% after initiation of systemic antibiotics. Most commonly identified organisms from the eye were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Candida. Blood culture positivity was 48.6%, most commonly Staphylococcus. IVDA was noted with increasing frequency as a risk factor. Diagnosis of endophthalmitis upon hospital admission was associated with a higher intraocular culture positivity (P = 0.040) and a shorter hospital stay (P = 0.035). Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were the highest yield imaging modalities; X-ray and non-ocular ultrasound were less diagnostically useful. Echocardiogram was positive by transesophageal route (TEE) in 22% and in 9% by transthoracic (TTE) testing. Following discharge from the hospital, 48.4% of patients failed to follow up with outpatient ophthalmology. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this study, the interdisciplinary team should consider directed imaging, eye cultures prior to antimicrobial administration, thorough history for IVDA, and caution with premature discharge from the hospital.

Endogenous Endophthalmitis Caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Ten-Year Retrospective Study in Western China.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyse the clinical features, microbiology results, management and outcomes of patients with endogenous endophthalmitis caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae in western China. METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records of 10 eyes in 10 subjects diagnosed with endogenous K. pneumoniae endophthalmitis from January 2008 to December 2018 was undertaken. RESULTS: The top 3 predisposing medical conditions included diabetes mellitus (50%), malignancy (20%) and cardiac stent implantation (10%). Extraocular infective foci were mainly found in the liver (40%), lungs (20%) and kidneys (10%). The positive culture rate was 85.71% (6/7) in vitreous samples, 83.33% (5/6) in blood samples and 100% (4/4) in body fluid samples. Only 20% of the patients, who had good initial visual acuity (VA) better than hand movement (HM), achieved a final VA better than 1.0 (log MAR). The mortality rate was 10%. CONCLUSIONS: Though the prognosis of endogenous K. pneumoniae endophthalmitis is often poor, patients with an initial VA better than HM may have a good prognosis under comprehensive treatments, including vitrectomy, systemic sensitive antibiotic injection and drainage of the primary infection loci.

Impact of antibiotic resistance of pathogens and early vitrectomy on the prognosis of infectious endophthalmitis: a 10-year retrospective study.

PURPOSE: Infectious endophthalmitis (IE) is a severe complication that can lead to blindness even with treatment. However, the impact of antibiotic resistance and early vitrectomy on its prognosis has scarcely been documented. This study investigated the impact of antibiotic resistance of pathogen and early vitrectomy on the prognosis of IE. METHODS: The medical records of 171 patients treated for IE at a tertiary referral center between 2007 and 2016 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed for etiology, pathogen, drug resistance to vancomycin or third-generation cephalosporins, treatment types and timing, and visual outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine significant prognostic factors. RESULTS: Among 171 eyes, 121 (70.8%) eyes developed IE after intraocular surgery (cataract surgery, 46.3%; intraocular injection, 13.2%), 37 (21.6%) eyes developed IE endogenously, and 9 (5.3%) eyes developed IE after trauma. The major causative pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus (9.4%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (7.0%). In total, 72.6% of the identified pathogens demonstrated antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance was associated with a worse final vision (P = .027). Visual prognosis was better for eyes treated with early vitrectomy combined with intravitreal antimicrobial injections within 24 h of onset than for eyes that received only intravitreal antimicrobial injections before undergoing delayed vitrectomy (P = .003). CONCLUSION: Antibiotic resistance of organisms causing IE is one of the most important prognostic factors. Early vitrectomy (i.e., within 24 h) may be helpful for achieving a better visual outcome. Immediate vitrectomy can be recommended, especially in IE cases caused by organisms with resistance to empirically used antibiotics.

Causative Pathogens of Endophthalmitis after Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Injection: An International Multicenter Study.

PURPOSE: The main objective of this study was to investigate the microbiological spectrum of endophthalmitis after anti-VEGF injections and to compare streptococcal with non-streptococcus-associated cases with regard to baseline characteristics and injection procedure. METHODS: Retrospective, international multicenter study of patients with culture-positive endophthalmitis after intravitreal anti-VEGF injection at 17 different retina referral centers. RESULTS: Eighty-three cases with 87 identified pathogens were included. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (59%) and viridans streptococci (15%) were the most frequent pathogens found. The use of postoperative antibiotics and performance of injections in an operating room setting significantly reduced the rate of streptococcus-induced endophthalmitis cases (p = 0.01 for both). CONCLUSION: We found a statistically significant lower rate of postinjectional local antibiotic therapy and operating room-based procedures among the streptococcus-induced cases compared to cases caused by other organisms.

Neisseria meningitidis Isolated in Vitreous Humor in a 5-Month-Old Infant Death From Meningococcal Sepsis.

Diagnosing sepsis at postmortem is challenging. With respect to meningococcal sepsis, the postmortem microbiological identification of Neisseria meningitidis is nearly always due to true infection, including in cases of decomposition. Previous case series and case reports were able to isolate N. meningitidis in vitreous humor in adult deaths from meningococcal sepsis when blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid was unavailable. It was suggested that vitreous humor polymerase chain reaction (PCR) may be useful in the diagnosis of meningococcal sepsis. We describe a fatal case of meningococcal sepsis in a 5-month-old infant where N. meningitidis was detected in vitreous humor, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood through PCR. The presented case report gives further evidence in the potential use of vitreous PCR analysis in suspected meningococcal sepsis, particularly in the pediatric population.

Microbial profile and antibiotic susceptibility trend in postoperative endophthalmitis: a 12-year review.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the microbial profile and susceptibility pattern of pathogens responsible for culture-proven postoperative endophthalmitis, and to investigate possible trends in both pathogens and antibiotic sensitivities. METHODS: The retrospective study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and comprised record of ophthalmology patients from January 1, 2005, to December 31, 2016. Culture and sensitivity reports of vitreous and aqueous humor samples from all the patients were retrieved from the medical record section of the hospital. SPSS 19 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of the samples of 202 patients with a mean age of 58.2±15.8 years, 106(52.5%) were culturepositive. Of them, 55(51.8%) had gram-negative bacteria, 41(38.6%) had gram-positive bacteria, and 10(9.4%) had fungi. Among gram-positive bacteria, coagulase-negative staphylococcus was the principal isolate 18(17%) and among gram-negative bacteria, it was pseudomonas species 20(18.8%). Spectrum of gram-positive sensitivities included vancomycin 100%, gentamicin 91.5%, amikacin 100%, ciprofloxacin 68%, chloramphenicol 100%, and tetracycline 84.6%. Among gram-negative organisms, the sensitivities were ciprofloxacin 52.9%, ofloxacin 66.6%, ceftazidime 91.8%, amikacin 100%, tobramycin 100% imipenem 91.6%, gentamicin 81.2% and tetracycline 75%. CONCLUSIONS: Vancomycin and ceftazidime were the best empirical antibiotic selection to treat postoperative endophthalmitis.

Unusual microbiological presentations in polymicrobial post-operative endophthalmitis and their clinical correlations.

PURPOSE: To report the clinical course, microbiological spectrum and visual outcomes of three cases of post-operative endophthalmitis caused by unusual combination of micro-organisms. METHODS: Retrospective review of medical charts at a tertiary eye care centre over a period of 1 year, of subjects with post-operative endophthalmitis and more than one microbiological isolate. RESULTS: We report 3 cases with unusual combination of microorganisms. In case 1, two organisms (Burkholderia cepacia and Aeromonas veronii, from the vitreous cavity and capsular bag, respectively) with an identical antibiotic sensitivity pattern were found, while in case 2, the organisms (Streptococcus pneumoniae and Sphingomonas paucimobilis, from cornea and vitreous cavity, respectively) isolated had different sensitivity patterns. In case 3, two different strains of the same organism (Enterococcus faecalis) were found. Cases 1 and 2 achieved good anatomical and visual outcomes, while in case 3, vision remained poor despite a good anatomical outcome. CONCLUSION: Unusual combinations of organisms in post-operative endophthalmitis can introduce unique clinical characteristics and should specifically be considered in atypical clinical presentations, poor response to standard therapy and unusual recurrence patterns.