Characterization and distribution of viridans group streptococci isolated from infectious endophthalmitis and keratitis / Caracterização e distribuição de estreptococos do grupo viridans isolados de endoftalmite infecciosa e ceratite

ABSTRACT Purpose: The aims of this study were to characterize alpha-hemolytic streptococci among isolates from cases of infectious endophthalmitis and keratitis and to determine their distributions. Methods: The sample included 27 and 35 nonduplicated isolates of alpha-hemolytic streptococci recovered from patients with infectious endophthalmitis (2002-2013) and keratitis (2008-2013), respectively. Isolates were identified by the optochin susceptibility and bile solubility tests, using a biochemical identification system. The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by the broth microdilution method. Molecular identification was performed by analyses of three constitutive genes and the complementary multilocus sequence. The molecular epidemiology of Streptococcus pneumoniae was investigated using multilocus sequence typing, and the presence of the capsular polysaccharide-encoding gene was assessed using conventional polymerase chain reaction. Outcomes were evaluated using the patients' medical records. Results: Phenotypic tests differentiated S. pneumoniae from other alpha-hemolytic streptococci, consistent with later molecular identifications. Streptococcus oralis was significantly prevalent among the endophthalmitis isolates, as was S. pneumoniae in the keratitis isolates. High levels of susceptibility to antibiotics were observed, including vancomycin, cephalosporins, and fluoroquinolones. High genetic variability was detected among the 19 S. pneumoniae strains, with 15 predicted to be encapsulated. The medical records of patients with infectious endophthalmitis were reviewed (n=15/27; 56%), and final visual acuity was assessed in 12 cases (44%). Many patients progressed to a final visual acuity state of "no light perception" (6/12; 50%), "light perception" (3/12; 25%), or "hand motion" (1/12; 8%). The medical records of patients with infectious keratitis were also reviewed (n=24/35; 69%), and final visual acuity was assessed in 18 cases (51%). Similarly, most patients progressed to a final visual acuity state of "no light perception" (6/18; 33%), "light perception" (1/18; 6%), or "hand motion" (6/18; 33%). Overall, the majority of patients progressed to a final visual acuity state of "no light perception" (12/30), "light perception" (4/30), or "hand motion" (7/30). Conclusions: The distribution of alpha-hemolytic streptococci in ocular infections suggested the presence of a species-specific tissue tropism. The prognoses of patients with ocular streptococcal infections were highly unfavorable, and antibiotic resistance did not contribute to the unfavorable clinical progressions and poor outcomes.

RESUMO Objetivo: O objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar os estreptococos alfa-hemolíticos isolados de endoftalmite infecciosa e ceratite e determinar sua distribuição. Métodos: A amostra incluiu 27 e 35 isolados não-duplicados de estreptococos alfa-hemolíticos recuperados de pacientes com endoftalmite infecciosa (2002-2013) e ceratite (2008-2013), respectivamente. Os isolados foram identificados pelos testes de suscetibilidade à optoquina e bile solubilidade, utilizando um sistema de identificação bioquímica. A concentração inibitória mínima foi determinada pelo método de microdiluição em caldo. A identificação molecular foi realizada pela análise de três genes constitutivos e análise complementar de sequências multilocus. A epidemiologia molecular do Streptococcus pneumoniae foi investigada por tipagem de sequência multilocus, e a presença do gene codificador do polissacarídeo capsular foi avaliada por reação em cadeia da polymerase convencional. Os resultados foram avaliados utilizando os prontuários médicos dos pacientes. Resultados: Os testes fenotípicos diferenciaram S. pneumoniae dos outros estreptococos alpha-hemolíticos, consistentes com identificações moleculares posteriores. S. oralis foi significativamente prevalente entre os isolados de endoftalmite, assim como S. pneumoniae nos isolados de ceratite. Foram observados altos níveis de suscetibilidade a antibióticos, incluindo vancomicina, cefalosporinas e fluoroquinolonas. Alta variabilidade genética foi detectada entre as 19 cepas de S. pneumoniae, com 15 previstas para serem encapsuladas. Os prontuários médicos dos pacientes com endoftalmite infecciosa foram revisados (n=15/27; 56%), e a acuidade visual final foi avaliada em 12 casos (44%). Muitos pacientes evoluiram para um estado final de acuidade visual de "sem percepção luminosa" (6/12; 50%), "percepção luminosa" (3/12; 25%) ou "movimentos de mãos" (1/12; 8%). Também foram revisados os prontuários médicos dos pacientes com ceratite infecciosa (n=24/35; 69%), e a acuidade visual final foi avaliada em 18 casos (51%). Da mesma foram, a maioria dos pacientes evoluiu para um estado final de acuidade visual de "sem percepção luminosa" (6/18; 33%), "percepção luminosa" (1/18; 6%) ou "movimentos de mãos" (6/18; 33%). No geral, a maioria dos pacientes evoluiu para um estado final de acuidade visual de "sem percepção luminosa" (12/30), "percepção luminosa" (4/30) ou "movimentos de mãos" (7/30). Conclusões: A distribuição de estreptococos alfa-hemolíticos nas infecções oculares sugeriu a presença de um tropismo de tecido específico da espécie. Os prognósticos dos pacientes com infeções oculares por estreptococos foram altamente desfavoráveis e a resistência a antibióticos contribuiu não para as progressões clínicas des­favoráveis e os maus resultados.

Pilot Study Comparing Topical Anesthetic Agents in Pterygium Surgery: Subconjunctival Injection Versus 2% Lidocaine Gel Versus 5% Lidocaine Gel.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of different concentrations of topical lidocaine gel with standard subconjunctival anesthesia. METHODS: This was a prospective randomized controlled pilot study with 3 different groups. Group SC received subconjunctival lidocaine and proparacaine drops as needed during surgery. Group L2 received 2% lidocaine gel and group L5 received 5% lidocaine gel. Both lidocaine gel groups could receive another gel dose as needed during the procedure. The primary outcome was pain, which was experienced during and after surgery. The assessment was done using a 10-point linear analog scale at predetermined stages of surgery (1-first incision, 2-pterygium body excision, 3-conjunctival suturing, 4-immediate postoperative period after patching, and 5-assessment by a trained nurse in the absence of a surgeon after operation). RESULTS: We enrolled 45 consecutive patients who underwent primary pterygium surgery. Statistical significance between groups was found in mean pain at administration (2.2 vs. 0.4 vs. 0.0 in SC, L2, and L5 groups, respectively, with P < 0.05). The number of reapplications of anesthetic drops did not differ between the groups. We found a correlation between reapplication of the anesthetic and pain at administration and duration of the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that the use of lidocaine gel at concentrations of 2% and 5% in pterygium surgery was as effective as subconjunctival injection of lidocaine in reducing intraoperative and postoperative pain, producing significantly less pain during initial administration of the anesthetic.

Safety and efficacy of moxifloxacin-dexamethasone eyedrops as treatment for bacterial ocular infection associated with bacterial blepharitis.

INTRODUCTION: Treatments that offer two medications in a fixed combination have the potential to offer efficacious and safe treatment with advantages such as a regimen that is simpler than administering two separate solutions. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of fixed-combination versus concomitant moxifloxacin 0.5% and dexamethasone 0.1% ocular solutions for the treatment of bacterial ocular inflammation and infection. METHODS: The clinical study design was a randomized, double-masked, active-controlled, parallel-group trial of 102 subjects with bacterial blepharitis in which two patients also had bacterial conjunctivitis. All subjects received two bottles of study medication: either a fixed combination of moxifloxacin 0.5%/dexamethasone 0.1% ophthalmic solution and placebo eye drops (fixed-dose group), or moxifloxacin 0.5% ophthalmic solution and dexamethasone 0.1% (concomitant group). One drop of each study medication was instilled bilaterally four times per day for 7 days. Clinical resolution, signs, symptoms, and safety were assessed. Microbiological specimens were collected from the eyelid margin and conjunctivae of each eye from each patient at the time of enrollment and at the exit visit. RESULTS: Clinical resolution occurred similarly in both groups (81.6% of eyes, fixed-dose group; 82.3% of eyes, concomitant group). Moreover, the microbiological efficacy of the treatment was also similar for both the fixed-dose group (84%) and the concomitant group (83%). Ocular symptoms and signs improved over time, with no significant differences between groups after 7 days of treatment, except the fixed-dose group had significantly more eyes with clinical resolution in eyelid erythema (100%, n = 98/98, fixed-dose group; 92.7%, n = 89/96, concomitant group; P = 0.0194) and eyelid scaling/crusting (98%, n = 96/98, fixed-dose group; 89.6%; n = 86/96 eyes, concomitant group; P = 0.0337). Both regimens were safe and well tolerated. CONCLUSION: The fixed-dose combination of moxifloxacin, 0.5% and dexamethasone, 0.1% was therapeutically equivalent and as well tolerated as the concomitant dosage.

Efficacy and tolerability of a combined moxifloxacin/dexamethasone formulation for topical prophylaxis and reduction of inflammation in phacoemulsification: a comparative, double masked clinical trial.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy and safety of a combined 0.5% moxifloxacin and 0.1% dexamethasone formulation (Vigadexa) versus conventional dosing with 0.5% concomitant moxifloxacin (Vigamox) and 0.1% dexamethasone (Maxidex) for the prevention of infection and control of inflammation after cataract surgery. SETTING: The ophthalmology clinic and outpatient surgery suite of a public hospital in Brazil. METHODS: A prospective, randomized, double-masked, parallel-group study of 139 patients, all of which underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. After random assignment, 64 eyes received the combination of topical 0.5% moxifloxacin/0.1% dexamethasone drop and 62 eyes received 0.5% moxifloxacin and 0.1% dexamethasone as separate solutions four times a day for 15 days. Baseline and postoperative assessments were made on surgery days -2, 1, 3, 8, and 15. Limitations of this study included its small size and relatively short duration of follow-up. RESULTS: There was no sign of intraocular infection at any time and only minimal inflammation beyond day 3. Physicians rated bacterial infection to be absent in both groups on days 1, 3, 8 and 15. Ninety-seven percent of patients in each group had < or = 5 cells by day 15. Objective and subjective parameters were essentially the same in both treatment groups (p > 0.05). One patient in the conventional therapy group developed viral conjunctivitis unrelated to the surgery. CONCLUSION: Treatment with the combined moxiflox acin/dexamethasone eye drops was as effective as conventional treatment in preventing infection and controlling inflammation after phacoemulsification and IOL implantation.

Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR is a useful tool for typing Mycobacterium chelonae and Mycobacterium abscessus isolates.

Outbreaks of rapidly growing mycobacterium (RGM) infections are increasingly being reported worldwide. Information about genetic relatedness of isolates obtained during outbreaks can provide opportunities for prompt intervention. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is expensive, time consuming, and labor intensive. Other than that, Mycobacterium abscessus isolates can suffer DNA degradation during electrophoresis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods are cheaper, faster, and easier to perform, but discriminatory power varies depending on the primer used. In this study, we tested the competence of enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) PCR in comparison with PFGE to distinguish unrelated isolates (24 Mycobacterium chelonae and 24 M. abscessus) obtained from human and/or environmental samples and to group 56 isolates from 6 outbreaks confirmed epidemiologically, caused by M. chelonae and M. abscessus after ophthalmologic refractive surgery and mesotherapy. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus PCR presented discriminatory power, calculated using Simpson's index of diversity, of 0.989 for M. abscessus and 0.975 for M. chelonae and grouped outbreak isolates in distinct groups showing epidemiologic concordance. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis also grouped outbreak isolates and presented discriminatory power of 0.972 and 0.993 for M. abscessus and M. chelonae, respectively. DNA from 8 (22%) of 36 M. abscessus isolates analyzed showed degradation during electrophoresis. Compared with PFGE and epidemiologic information as the gold standard, ERIC PCR is a simple, high throughput, affordable, reproducible, and discriminatory molecular typing method for inference of genetic relatedness of RGMs of the M. chelonae-abscessus group.

Antifungal susceptibility testing of yeast isolated from corneal infections

PURPOSE: To report the antifungal susceptibility profile of yeast isolates obtained from cases of keratitis. METHODS: Susceptibility testing of 15 yeast strains isolated from corneal infections to amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole and ketoconazole was performed using the NCCLS broth microdilution assay. RESULTS: Most episodes of eye infections were caused by Candida albicans. The antifungal drugs tested showed the following minimal inhibitory concentration values against yeast isolates: 0.125-0.5 µg/ml for amphotericin B; 0.125->64.0 µg/ml for fluconazole; 0.015-1.0 µg/ml for itraconazole and 0.015-0.125 µg/ml for ketoconazole. Despite the fact that all Candida isolates were judged to be susceptible to azoles, one isolate showed a minimal inhibitory concentration value significantly higher than a 90 percent minimal inhibitory concentration of all tested isolates. Rhodotorula rubra was resistant to fluconazole and itraconazole. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the fact that most yeast isolates from corneal infections are usually susceptible to amphotericin B and azoles, they exhibit a wide range of minimal inhibitory concentration values for antifungal drugs. The identification of strains at species level and their susceptibility pattern to antifungal drugs should be considered before determining the concentration to be used in topical antifungal formulations in order to optimize therapeutic response in eye infections.

Impacto econômico on tratamento do glaucoma: volume de gotas de colírio antiglaucomatosos brasileiros e norte americanos / Economic impact of glaucoma treatment: Brazilian and North-american antiglaucomatous

Objetivo: Comparar o exame de gotas de colírios antiglaucomatosos norte-americanos e brasileiros, e a repercussäo no custo do tratamento. Métodos: Estudo volumétrico da gota e consequente número de gotas por mililitro, com estabelecimento da duraçäo média de cada frasco de colírio para a posologia e custo anual do tratamento. Resultados: A gota de Alphagan brasileiro foi em média 18 por cento maior que a norte-americana, com duraçäo média de 30,8 dias e custo anual de R$ 440,70; o Alphagan norte-americano teve duraçäo média de 36,3 dias e custo anual de R$374,10, ou seja, 17,8 por cento de diferença no custo anual. A gota de Betoptic S brasileiro foi 38,4 por cento maior que a norte-americana, com duraçäo de 31,3 dias e custo anual de R$ 192,60; o Betoptic S norte-americano teve duração de 43,3 dias e custo anual deR$139,40, ou seja, 38,1 por cento de diferença no custo anual. A gota de Iopidine brasileiro foi 46,3 por cento maior que a norte-americana, com duraçäo de 35,7 dias e custo anual de R$ 365,00; o Iopidine'" norte-americano teve duraçäo de 52,6 dias e custo anual de R$ 248,40, ou seja, 46,9 por cento de diferença no custo anual. A gota de Timoptol foi 14,7 por cento maior que a norte-americana, com duraçäo de 45,4 dias e custo anual de R$ 58,40; o Timoptic norte- americano teve duraçäo de 52,1 dias e custo anual de R$ 51,00, ou seja, 14,5 por cento de diferença no custo anual. Conclusöes: Em todos os colírios D volume da gota brasileira foi estatisticamente maior, acarretando menor duração do frasco, maior custo anual do tratamento com desperdício significativo e prejuízo para o consumidor.