Moxifloxacin superior to cefuroxime in reducing bacterial adhesion of Staphylococcus epidermidis on hydrophobic intraocular lenses

Purpose To compare the anti‐adhesive effect of cefuroxime and moxifloxacin on the primary attachment phase of Staphylococcus epidermidis on hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses (IOLs). Methods Forty hydrophobic acrylic IOLs were used. Two groups of IOLs were soaked in a moxifloxacin (Mox‐T1: 0.5 mg/0.1 ml) or a cefuroxime (Cef‐T1: cefuroxime 1 mg/0.1 ml) solution before incubation in a S. epidermidis bacterial suspension. Two other groups were incubated in the bacterial suspension before antibiotics (Cef‐T2 and Mox‐T2) were added. The control group (Ctrl) consisted of IOLs incubated in the bacterial suspension. After incubation, IOLs were sonicated and vortexed. The resultant suspension was spread over a nutritive agar plate. Bacterial colonies were counted after 24 hr of incubation. Results Mean number of colony‐forming units per IOL was Cef‐T1: 184 × 103 (SE: 5.24; SD: 28.21), Cef‐T2: 117 × 103 (SE: 5.74; SD: 30.37), Mox‐T1: 1.27 × 103 (SE: 0.12; SD: 0.61), Mox‐T2: 25 × 103 (SE:1.98; SD: 9.72) and Ctrl: 361 × 103 (SE: 26.9; SD: 107.6). The number of adhering bacteria did not vary whether cefuroxime was added before or after IOL incubation in the bacterial suspension (p = 0.132). Moxifloxacin was more effective in reducing the number of adhering bacteria when used before IOL incubation (p