Severe bacterial keratitis and activity of fluoroquinolones

To study the microbiological characteristics of patients with severe bacterial keratitis in Bordeaux, France, as well as the species' resistance to fluoroquinolones. We conducted a retrospective study of 57 patients presenting severe bacterial keratitis over 20 months. The positive bacteriological cultures of the corneal smears, bacteria, and the antibiogram were listed. Fifty-seven patients with severe bacterial keratitis were hospitalized from March 2005 to November 2006. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=17), Staphylococcus aureus (n=16), and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (n=10) were the most frequent species. P. aeruginosa was sensitive in 100% of cases to ciprofloxacin, S. aureus was sensitive in 94% of cases to ciprofloxacin, and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species were sensitive in 100% of cases to ciprofloxacin. No significant different was noted between ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin on the bacteria studied (p>0.05). In this study, except for the Streptococcus species, ciprofloxacin was effective against the species responsible for severe bacterial keratitis.