Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the current microbiological spectrum of culture-positive explanted scleral buckles and their sensitivity to antibiotics. A retrospective, consecutive case series was performed in this study. 38 patients with scleral buckle removal that occurred between January 2003 and December 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. Cultured bacteria were identified using the API system. Susceptibilities of the bacteria were tested using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. 38 of 50 (76%) explanted scleral buckles were positive by culture. A total of 40 microorganisms were isolated from the 38 buckles. Thirty isolates (75%) were Gram positive and 10 (25%) were Gram negative. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) was the most common isolate (62.5%) while 10 cases (40%) of CNS were methicillin-resistant CNS (MR-CNS). 100% of the Gram-positive isolates were sensitive to Vancomycin, 69% to Clindamycin, 59.3% to Gentamicin, 39.3% to Ciprofloxacin and 42.3% to Ofloxacin. MR-CNS was sensitive to Vancomycin and Rifampin, while 80% of the Gram-negative isolates were sensitive to Ciprofloxacin and 75% to Ofloxacin. This study demonstrated a change in bacterial isolates of the explanted scleral buckles and their antibiotic sensitivities, compared with previous reports. No single antibiotic can cover all of the microbes isolated from explanted scleral buckle. A combination of various antibiotics is recommended for the treatment of perioperative infection and initial empiric treatment.

Key words: Microorganism, sclera buckle, antibiotic sensitivity, infection.