The Role of Bacterial Etiology in the Tear Duct Infections Secondary to Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstructions

PURPOSE: To define the microbiological features of dacryocystitis in childhood. METHODS: Patients with dacryocystitis secondary to CNLDO between 2017 and 2019 in Izmir, Turkey were included in the study. Inclusion criteria of the study were: mucopurulent secretion, being under 4 years old and not having received prior antibiotic treatment. Samples from secretion were cultivated in sheep blood agar, eosin methylene blue, and chocolate agar. Reproduction was checked intermittently. Clinically significant growths were reported. RESULTS: Seventy patients with dacryocystitis secondary to CNLDO were included in the study. Sixty percent of patients were female (n = 42) and 40% (n = 28) percent of patients were male. The average age of participants was 2.09 ± 0.68 (1-3) years old. Positive bacterial proliferation results were noted in 20 patients (28.6%). Eighty percent (n = 16) of culture-positive bacterias were gram-negative bacterias and 20% (4) were gram-positive bacterias. Twenty percent of culture-positive bacterias were aerobic and 80% were facultative bacterias. The most common bacteria seen in culture specimen was Haemophilus 40% (Haemophilus haemolyticus [20%] and Haemophilus influenzae [20%]). CONCLUSIONS: Gram-negative organisms especially Haemophilus were most prevalent. These findings could be helpful for antibiotic selection.