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In vitro evaluation of antibacterial activity of fluorescein 0.5% eye drops
Author(s) -
Bouche Thibaud,
Claude Quintyn Jean,
Join Lambert Olivier,
Guerin Francois,
Auzou Michel
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2019.5106
Subject(s) - fluorescein , tetracaine , topical anesthetic , minimum inhibitory concentration , cornea , staphylococcus epidermidis , anesthetic , eye drop , ophthalmology , chemistry , in vitro , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , chromatography , anesthesia , bacteria , biology , staphylococcus aureus , biochemistry , physics , genetics , quantum mechanics , lidocaine , fluorescence
Purpose Fluorescein is commonly used in ophthalmology to confirm a diagnostic of corneal ulceration. In case of infectious keratitis, microbiological investigations are necessary involving anesthetic eye drops administration and corneal sampling. An antibacterial activity has already been described associated with anesthetic eye drops yielding therefore a risk of false negative result. However fluorescein influence has never been studied. This study was aimed at evaluating antibacterial in vitro activity for fluorescein and for most common anesthetic eye drops. Methods The most frequently isolated germs in case of infectious keratitis ( S. epidermidis, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, S. pneumoniae, M. lacunata, M. catarrhalis and C. macginleyi ) have been tested. The determination of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for the different eye drops (0.5% fluorescein, 0.4% oxybuprocaine and 1% tetracaine) was achieved by microdilution in liquid medium. Results Fluorescein did not exhibit antibacterial activity for most germs (MICs > 2500 mg/L) except for Moraxella ( M. catarrhalis and M. lacunata ), for which the MICs observed were 1250 mg/L and 625 mg/L respectively and corresponding to a dilution of 1/4 and 1/8 of the commercial solution. Conclusion At the usual concentration of 0.5% (5 g/L), fluorescein does exhibit antibacterial activity for Moraxella bacteria. Therefore, it is essential to properly wash the eye with sterile physiological serum before sampling in order to eliminate fluorescein and local anesthetic.