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Abstract

Healthcare-associated conjunctivitis (HAC) is associated with serious ophthalmic complications in newborns, including blindness. This 3-year retrospective descriptive study, conducted between 2019 and 2021, identified the most common bacteria associated with her HAC in neonates from Middle East tertiary care hospitals. Inclusion criteria were defined based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for the diagnosis of HAC in newborns. When HAC was clinically suspected, conjunctival swabs were obtained from neonates and sent to the microbiology laboratory according to standard protocols. Univariate analysis was performed on the included samples. A total of 79 cases met the inclusion criteria and were retrospectively reviewed. Descriptive analysis showed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the major cause of HAC, accounting for 25% (20 cases), Approximately 9% of analyzed cases were positive for S. aureus. Oral gastric feeding was the most common factor (94%) associated with HAC, followed by respiratory distress syndrome (IBS) and prematurity in 70% and 64% of cases, respectively. In summary, HAC is a worrying health problem, commonly caused by bacteria, including Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, physician awareness, effective communication with microbiologists, and implementation of infection control recommendations, including hand hygiene, can minimize this problem and avoid serious complications of HAC.