Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Science - Department of Botany Microbiology

The objective of this study was to identify the conjunctival microbiota of patients undergoing cataract surgery and evaluate its antibiotic resistance pattern. Also to in-vitro evaluate the antimicrobial effects of some essential oils against multidrug resistant isolates. Ocular samples were collected using swabs and polymethyl-metaacrylate (PMMA) intraocular lenses from seventy patients submitted to cataract surgery. Isolation and identification of bacteria was performed using conventional microbiological methods and API system. The sensitivity of 16 essential oils against isolated bacteria was tested using well diffusion method. Combination effect of essential oils and antibiotic was also examined. Thirty six strains were isolated from patients submitted to cataract surgery. Gram positive microorganisms represent 75% of the isolates with coagulase- negative Staphylococci (CoNS) the most common isolate (47.2%) followed by S.aureus (19.4%), whereas gram negative occurred in 25% of cases, with Moraxella spp. the most frequent Gram negative isolate. Antibiotic sensitivity test revealed that the highest antibiotic resistance was exhibited against ceftazidime (100%) followed by clindamycin (86%), ampicillin (80.5%), erythromycin (72.2%) and tetracycline (69.4%). Gentamycin displayed the best activity (55.5%) followed by chloramphenicol (44.4%) and vancomycin (38.88%)

Issued also as CD