MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE

ABSTRACT

Eye drops are pharmaceutical products which are primarily used in managing and treating ocular conditions. When contaminated, eyedrops can become a possible source of ocular infections and ocular complications during treatment. The purpose of this study is to determine the degree of contamination and pattern of antimicrobial resistance of in-use eye drops (therapeutic and diagnostic) in Benin City, Edo State. A total of 120 samples of eye drops content (which were mainly Anti-allergic, Lubricants, Glaucoma medications, steroids, NSAIDs, Ocular anesthetics and Mydriatics) in-use for an average of 14days were collected for microbial examination. The samples were cultured and number of colonies was counted, the organisms were identified and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done to selected antimicrobial agents. A simple questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographics of the patients. Cross tabulation analysis using Pearson‘s Chi-square test (SPSS version 16.0) was performed to determine statistically significant differences between the multiuser, single-user and for other different settings; and association was taken as significant when P<0.05. Results showed that the rate of contamination in this study was 82/120 (68.3%). Frequency of contamination was eyedrops was found to be statistically associated with the duration of use of eyedrops at P<0.01. Contamination rate was higher in multi-use eyedrops compared with single-use eyedrops although association was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Gram-positive organism Staphylococcus epidermis (81.2%) had the highest number colony count while gram- negative Klebsiella spp. (50.0%) had the highest number colony counts. Many gram-positive and gram- negative organisms isolated were sensitive for broad spectrum antibiotics, however some gram-positive organisms exhibited resistance to some of the antibiotics used.  In conclusion, this study showed that there is high rate of contamination of in-use eyedrops high (68.3%). Duration /length of use is a significant factor associated with the rate of contamination of eyedrop medications. Aseptic practices regarding eyedrop handling and application should be top priority to ensure reduced rate of contamination.