The burden of antimicrobial resistance in biofilm forming Staphylococcus spp. from Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis patients eyes
Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a chronic allergic ocular surface disease with seasonal recurrences and severe forms showing vision threatening complications. The purpose of the study is to understand the prevalence and diversity of biofilm-forming bacteria and antimicrobial resistance in VKC c...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Biofilm |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590207525000267 |
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| Summary: | Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a chronic allergic ocular surface disease with seasonal recurrences and severe forms showing vision threatening complications. The purpose of the study is to understand the prevalence and diversity of biofilm-forming bacteria and antimicrobial resistance in VKC compared to healthy individuals (HC). For this, conjunctival swab samples were collected from VKC (n = 26) and HC (n = 23), of which culture positive samples were 77 % and 78.26 % respectively. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed a significant increase in bacterial diversity in VKC compared to HC (p < 0.05), identifying 16 and 9 bacterial species, respectively. Staphylococcus epidermidis emerged as the predominant bacterium in both groups, with relative abundances of 52.8 % in HC and 30.2 % in VKC (p < 0.001). Biofilm formation was observed in 64.15 % of bacterial species in VKC and 31 % in HC (p < 0.001). Scanning electron microscopy analysis confirmed temporal biofilm formation by Staphylococcus spp. in both groups. Minimum inhibitory concentration testing showed that biofilm forming Staphylococcus spp. from VKC exhibited multidrug resistance (>2 antibiotics) more frequently than those from HC. Additionally, Staphylococcus spp. in VKC demonstrated higher resistance to fluoroquinolones compared to HC. These findings indicate a significantly greater prevalence of biofilm-forming and antimicrobial resistant Staphylococcus bacteria in VKC Patients compared with HC. |
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| ISSN: | 2590-2075 |