Effects of preoperative topical levofloxacin on conjunctival microbiome in patients undergoing intravitreal injections.

<h4>Purpose</h4>Endophthalmitis is a serious eye infection that can occur after intravitreal injections. Topical antibiotics are frequently used as a preventative measure, but their impact on the conjunctival microbiome is not fully understood.<h4>Methods</h4>Conjunctival swa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jakkrit Juhong, Wijak Kongwattananon, Nuntachai Surawatsatien, Nathapon Treewipanon, Tanittha Chatsuwan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320785
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850186579459440640
author Jakkrit Juhong
Wijak Kongwattananon
Nuntachai Surawatsatien
Nathapon Treewipanon
Tanittha Chatsuwan
author_facet Jakkrit Juhong
Wijak Kongwattananon
Nuntachai Surawatsatien
Nathapon Treewipanon
Tanittha Chatsuwan
author_sort Jakkrit Juhong
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Purpose</h4>Endophthalmitis is a serious eye infection that can occur after intravitreal injections. Topical antibiotics are frequently used as a preventative measure, but their impact on the conjunctival microbiome is not fully understood.<h4>Methods</h4>Conjunctival swabs were collected from 33 eyes of 33 patients undergoing intravitreal injections, both before and after a 3-day course of prophylactic topical levofloxacin 0.5%. Conjunctival microbiome analysis was conducted using 16S rRNA sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Bioinformatics processing identified unique amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) to evaluate microbial diversity and community composition. Alpha and beta diversity indices were analyzed.<h4>Results</h4>Topical levofloxacin treatment resulted in no significant change in alpha diversity indices, including Shannon index, Chao1, Shannon, PD whole tree, and observed ASVs, indicating stable microbial richness and evenness. In contrast, beta diversity analysis, assessed through Bray-Curtis dissimilarity, revealed significant differences in microbial composition between pre- and post-treatment samples. These changes included a decrease in the abundance of Staphylococcus and Bacillus species and an increase in the abundance of Streptococcus, Haemophilus, and Neisseria.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Although prophylactic topical levofloxacin was found to alter the conjunctival microbiome and showed inconsistent effects on the abundance of pathogenic bacteria, its clinical effectiveness as a preventative measure against endophthalmitis remains inconclusive. Further studies are needed to clarify its role in infection prevention.
format Article
id doaj-art-52ccb14da8594d24892c0a3f29ddb48d
institution OA Journals
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-52ccb14da8594d24892c0a3f29ddb48d2025-08-20T02:16:19ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01203e032078510.1371/journal.pone.0320785Effects of preoperative topical levofloxacin on conjunctival microbiome in patients undergoing intravitreal injections.Jakkrit JuhongWijak KongwattananonNuntachai SurawatsatienNathapon TreewipanonTanittha Chatsuwan<h4>Purpose</h4>Endophthalmitis is a serious eye infection that can occur after intravitreal injections. Topical antibiotics are frequently used as a preventative measure, but their impact on the conjunctival microbiome is not fully understood.<h4>Methods</h4>Conjunctival swabs were collected from 33 eyes of 33 patients undergoing intravitreal injections, both before and after a 3-day course of prophylactic topical levofloxacin 0.5%. Conjunctival microbiome analysis was conducted using 16S rRNA sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform. Bioinformatics processing identified unique amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) to evaluate microbial diversity and community composition. Alpha and beta diversity indices were analyzed.<h4>Results</h4>Topical levofloxacin treatment resulted in no significant change in alpha diversity indices, including Shannon index, Chao1, Shannon, PD whole tree, and observed ASVs, indicating stable microbial richness and evenness. In contrast, beta diversity analysis, assessed through Bray-Curtis dissimilarity, revealed significant differences in microbial composition between pre- and post-treatment samples. These changes included a decrease in the abundance of Staphylococcus and Bacillus species and an increase in the abundance of Streptococcus, Haemophilus, and Neisseria.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Although prophylactic topical levofloxacin was found to alter the conjunctival microbiome and showed inconsistent effects on the abundance of pathogenic bacteria, its clinical effectiveness as a preventative measure against endophthalmitis remains inconclusive. Further studies are needed to clarify its role in infection prevention.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320785
spellingShingle Jakkrit Juhong
Wijak Kongwattananon
Nuntachai Surawatsatien
Nathapon Treewipanon
Tanittha Chatsuwan
Effects of preoperative topical levofloxacin on conjunctival microbiome in patients undergoing intravitreal injections.
PLoS ONE
title Effects of preoperative topical levofloxacin on conjunctival microbiome in patients undergoing intravitreal injections.
title_full Effects of preoperative topical levofloxacin on conjunctival microbiome in patients undergoing intravitreal injections.
title_fullStr Effects of preoperative topical levofloxacin on conjunctival microbiome in patients undergoing intravitreal injections.
title_full_unstemmed Effects of preoperative topical levofloxacin on conjunctival microbiome in patients undergoing intravitreal injections.
title_short Effects of preoperative topical levofloxacin on conjunctival microbiome in patients undergoing intravitreal injections.
title_sort effects of preoperative topical levofloxacin on conjunctival microbiome in patients undergoing intravitreal injections
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320785
work_keys_str_mv AT jakkritjuhong effectsofpreoperativetopicallevofloxacinonconjunctivalmicrobiomeinpatientsundergoingintravitrealinjections
AT wijakkongwattananon effectsofpreoperativetopicallevofloxacinonconjunctivalmicrobiomeinpatientsundergoingintravitrealinjections
AT nuntachaisurawatsatien effectsofpreoperativetopicallevofloxacinonconjunctivalmicrobiomeinpatientsundergoingintravitrealinjections
AT nathapontreewipanon effectsofpreoperativetopicallevofloxacinonconjunctivalmicrobiomeinpatientsundergoingintravitrealinjections
AT tanitthachatsuwan effectsofpreoperativetopicallevofloxacinonconjunctivalmicrobiomeinpatientsundergoingintravitrealinjections