Conjunctival aerobic bacterial flora in healthy Silesian foals and adult horses in Poland

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Abstract

Background

Commensal bacterial and fungal flora of the conjunctival sac has been described in horses and other animals. The identification of commensal flora of the conjunctival sac may aid in the diagnosis of ocular inflammatory diseases, such as conjunctivitis or more severe ulcerative keratitis, common in horses. Moreover, damage of ocular protective barriers may lead to an opportunistic infection. The study was carried out in Silesian horses kept at a single breeding center in South-western Poland, in order to limit any breed-dependant and climate-dependant variables affecting the results. Following an ophthalmic examination that revealed no abnormalities, sterile swabs were collected from conjunctival sac in 26 adult horses and 11 foals. The obtained swabs were subjected to bacterial culture testing. In case of Staphylococcus spp. isolation, susceptibility to methicillin was evaluated.

Results

Forty- three bacterial isolates, representing eleven genera of bacteria were cultured from 30 (81%) horses. Gram-positive bacteria were the dominant isolates (72%) ( p < 0.001). The most commonly isolated Gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus spp., while Moraxella spp. were the most frequently isolated Gram-negative bacteria. There was no significant influence of sex and age on the frequency and type of microbial isolates.

Conclusions

Commensal flora is present in the conjunctival sac of healthy horses in Poland. Age does not affect the abundance and type of microbial isolates.

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Most cited references 30

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Update on clinical significance of coagulase-negative staphylococci.

W. Kloos, T Bannerman (1994)

The clinical significance of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species (CNS) continues to increase as strategies in medical practice lead to more invasive procedures. Hospitalized patients that are immunocompromised and/or suffering from chronic diseases are the most vulnerable to infection. Since CNS are widespread on the human body and are capable of producing very large populations, distinguishing the etiologic agent(s) from contaminating flora is a serious challenge. For this reason, culture identification should proceed to the species and strain levels. A much stronger case can be made for the identification of a CNS etiologic agent if the same strain is repeatedly isolated from a series of specimens as opposed to the isolation of different strains of one or more species. Strain identity initially can be based on colony morphology, and then one or more molecular approaches can be used to gain information on the genotype. Many of the CNS species are commonly resistant to antibiotics that are being indicated for staphylococcal infections, with the exception of vancomycin. The widespread use of antibiotics in hospitals has provided a reservoir of antibiotic-resistant genes. The main focus on mechanisms of pathogenesis has been with foreign body infections and the role of specific adhesins and slime produced by Staphylococcus epidermidis. Slime can reduce the immune response and opsonophagocytosis, thereby interfering with host defense mechanisms. As we become more aware of the various strategies used by CNS, we will be in a better position to compromise their defense mechanisms and improve treatment.

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Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections of the eye and orbit (an American Ophthalmological Society thesis).

P Blomquist (2005)

To ascertain if methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ophthalmic infections are increasing. A retrospective review of all patients with a culture positive for MRSA in the Parkland Health and Hospital System, the urban public healthcare system for Dallas County, Texas, for the years 2000 through 2004 was performed. Patients with ocular, orbital, and ocular adnexal infection were identified, and isolates were categorized as nosocomial or community-acquired (CA). A total of 3,640 patients with a culture positive for MRSA were identified, with 1,088 patients (30%) considered to have acquired the isolate via nosocomial transmission and 2,552 patients (70%) considered to have CA-MRSA. Forty-nine patients (1.3%) had ophthalmic MRSA involvement. For both ophthalmic and nonophthalmic cases, the number of CA-MRSA patients increased each year, whereas the numbers of nosocomial patients remained fairly constant. Patients with ophthalmic MRSA tended to be younger than other MRSA patients (P = .023). The most common manifestation of ophthalmic MRSA infection was preseptal cellulitis and/or lid abscess followed by conjunctivitis, but sight-threatening infections, including corneal ulcers, endophthalmitis, orbital cellulitis, and blebitis, also occurred. Empirical antibiotic coverage was initially prescribed in 48 (98%) of ophthalmic cases and did not adequately cover for the MRSA isolate in 24 (50%). CA-MRSA is becoming increasingly prevalent, and ophthalmologists will see more ophthalmic MRSA infections. Although ophthalmic CA-MRSA commonly presents as preseptal lid infection and conjunctivitis, sight-threatening infections also occur. Ophthalmologists must identify MRSA patients, adjust empirical treatment regimens where MRSA is endemic, and take steps to control emergence of resistant organisms in both inpatient and outpatient practices.

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External ocular infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

V Shanmuganathan, Susan M. Armstrong, A. Tullo … (2005)

To determine the prevalence and clinical characteristics of external ocular infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in an ophthalmic hospital in the UK. A retrospective analysis of the case notes of patients who had culture proven external ocular Staphylococcal infections during a 44-month period was undertaken. There were a total of 548 external eye infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Of these, 17 (3%) were MRSA positive. The most common presentation was conjunctivitis seen in six patients. All MRSA isolates were sensitive to chloramphenicol. Ofloxacin resistance was observed in all isolates from patients over the age of 50 years. All patients had an underlying history of either an ocular surface disease, malignancy, or a debilitating medical illness. MRSA is as yet an infrequent cause of external ocular infections. Patients typically have underlying ocular risk factors and/or are medically debilitated. Different strains infect young and old age groups with characteristic antimicrobial sensitivity. This study highlights the need for more work to establish the role of MRSA commensals and ocular infections.

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Author and article information

Contributors

A. Zak:

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3532-6508

agnieszka.zak@upwr.edu.pl

N. Siwinska: natalia.siwinska@upwr.edu.pl

M. Slowikowska: malwina.slowikowska@upwr.edu.pl

H. Borowicz: hieronim.borowicz@upwr.edu.pl

K. Ploneczka – Janeczko: katarzyna.ploneczka-janeczko@upwr.edu.pl

P. Chorbinski: pawel.chorbinski@upwr.edu.pl

A. Niedzwiedz: artur.niedzwiedz@upwr.edu.pl

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): BMC Vet Res

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): BMC Vet. Res

Title: BMC Veterinary Research

Publisher: BioMed Central (London )

ISSN (Electronic): 1746-6148

Publication date (Electronic): 31 August 2018

Publication date PMC-release: 31 August 2018

Publication date Collection: 2018

Volume: 14

Electronic Location Identifier: 261

Affiliations

[1 ]Department of Internal Medicine and Clinic of Diseases of Horses, Dogs and Cats, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, pl. Grunwaldzki 47, 50-366, Wroclaw, Poland

[2 ]Department of Epizootiology with Clinic for Birds and Exotic Animals, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, pl. Grunwaldzki 45, 50-366, Wroclaw, Poland

Author information

A. Zak http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3532-6508

Article

Publisher ID: 1598

DOI: 10.1186/s12917-018-1598-6

PMC ID: 6119321

PubMed ID: 30170594

SO-VID: a7764e52-3a9e-4095-9636-cfdc5e648cb7

License:

Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

History

Date received : 29 May 2018

Date accepted : 24 August 2018

Custom metadata

ScienceOpen disciplines: Veterinary medicine

Keywords: horse,conjunctival sac,bacteriology

Data availability:

ScienceOpen disciplines: Veterinary medicine

Keywords: horse, conjunctival sac, bacteriology

Conjunctival aerobic bacterial flora in healthy Silesian foals and adult horses in Poland

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Abstract

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Conclusions

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Bacterial extracellular vesicles

Most cited references 30

Update on clinical significance of coagulase-negative staphylococci.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections of the eye and orbit (an American Ophthalmological Society thesis).

External ocular infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

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