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Fluoroquinolones appear comparable in protective effect against common ocular isolates
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CHICAGO — The Staphylococci and Streptococci pneumoniae ocular isolates that cause common eye infections appear to be equally susceptible to levofloxacin, gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin, according to data from a longitudinal nationwide surveillance program presented in a poster here at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery annual meeting.
Susceptibility to macrolides was lower than to fluoroquinolones, the study authors noted.
Ocular Surgery News Contact Lenses Section Editor Penny A. Asbell, MD, FACS, MBA, and colleagues from the Ocular TRUST surveillance program collected ocular isolates from eye infections treated at eye and community hospitals between October 2006 and June 2007.
"Ocular TRUST (Tracking Resistance in the United States Today) is the only nationwide surveillance program to monitor antimicrobial susceptibility in prospectively collected ocular isolates," the study authors said.
In total, the investigators evaluated 151 S. aureus isolates, 51 S. epidermidis isolates and 188 S. pneumoniae isolates.
"Staphylococci susceptibilities to [levofloxacin, gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin] were identical, regardless of species or methicillin status," the authors reported. Specifically, S. aureus had a 52% susceptibility rate, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) had an 18% rate, methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) had a 93% rate, S. epidermidis had a 55% rate, methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) had a 32% rate and methicillin-sensitive S. epidermidis (MSSE) had a 90% rate.
Regarding macrolides, represented by azithromycin, MRSA had an 8% susceptibility rate, MSSA had a 62% rate, MRSE had a 13% rate and MSSE had a 40% rate.
All S. pneumoniae isolates were susceptible to levofloxacin, gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin treatment, while 69% were susceptible to treatment with azithromycin.