This study included collection of (60) swab samples taken from patients of dry eye syndrome referred to Ibn Al-Haetham Teaching Eye Hospital in Baghdad. Results showed that (53) of these samples were positive for bacterial occurrence after culturing on related selective media.Bacterial isolates were identified by cultural, microscopic and biochemical examinations. After confirming the conventional identification by (Api) kits specified for each type of bacteria, the following species and percentage of bacteria were recorded :-
Staphylococcus genus (45.9%), Streptococcus genus (17%), Coynebacterium diphtheriae (9.3%), Hemophilus influenzae (7.4%), (5.6%) to each of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae, while (3.7%) to each of Proteus mirabilis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae and (1.8%) to Escherichia coli.According to such results Staphylococcus epidermidis was the predominant bacteria among others followed by Staphylococcus aureus.Regarding to the patients, high percentage (45%) of dry eye syndrome cases was recorded in the old-age group (above 60 years) compared to other groups, and according to the gender, cases of dry eye syndrome were more abundant (56.7%) in the females than in males (43.3%). Results of antibiotic sensitivity of isolates toward (14) different antibiotics revealed that ciprofloxacin and gentamicin were the most effective against all isolates, while choloramphenicol exhibited its effect on gram positive bacterial isolates only. Despite that other antibiotics varied in their effect, most of the isolates were resistant to ampicillin and pencillin G.After culturing Lactobacillus acidophilus and L. plantarum in liquid and on solid media for different incubation periods (24, 48,72hr) to test there inhibitory ability against bacterial isolates of dry eye syndrome patients, it was noticed that the solid medium was more efficient in exhibiting such activity after 72 hr of incubation especially against gram positive bacteria.Despite the unconcentrated filtrates of lactic isolates showed no observable inhibitory activity on pathogenic bacteria, their effects against all bacterial isolates of dry eye syndrome increased to large extents upon increasing concentration of the filtrates.Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC,s) of Lactobacillus acidophilus and L. plantarum concentrated filtrate were determined after propagated in MRS broth (each one separately). It was found that MIC values are lower with L. acidophilus application than with L. plantarum. Regarding such finding it can be concluded that the former lactic isolate was more efficient against bacterial causes of dry eye syndrome.
