Bacteria may be involved in development of Behçet's disease, study finds

Staphylococcus aureus, Moraxella species and Streptococcus species colonization may be significantly higher in the conjunctival flora of Behçet patients than in the conjunctival flora of the normal population, suggesting that bacteria may be part of the pathogenesis of the disease, according to a study by researchers in Turkey.

Abuzer Gündüz, MD, and colleagues evaluated the conjunctival flora of 50 patients with inactive Behçet's disease and compared results with conjunctival flora samples obtained from 50 healthy age- and sex-matched controls. For all samples, the investigators inoculated a swab from the lower fornix into bloody eosin methylene blue, chocolate and Sabouraud dextrose agar media.

Patients in the Behçet group averaged 36.04 years of age; controls averaged 35.64 years of age.

Overall, the investigators found bacterial growth in 46 patients (92%) in the Behçet group and 29 patients (56%) in the control group.

In the Behçet group, the investigators found S. aureus in 12 patients (24%), coagulase negative staphylococci in 32 patients (64%), Moraxella spp in eight patients (16%), Streptococcus spp in eight patients (16%), Bacillus spp in four patients (8%), Neisseria spp in four patients (8%), Candida spp in three patients (6%) and Haemophilus spp in one patient (2%).

In the control group, the investigators found S. aureus in two patients (4%), coagulase negative staphylococci in 24 patients (48%), Moraxella spp in two patients (4%), Streptococcus spp in one patient (2%), Bacillus spp in three patients (6%), Neisseria spp in three patients (6%) and Candida spp in one patient (2%), according to the study, published in the August issue of Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology.