Comparison of Conjunctival Flora of Turkish and Syrian Individuals

Authors : Zarife Ekici Gök, Ayten Gündüz

Pages : 20-25

View : 36 | Download : 43

Publication Date : 2025-01-13

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Aim: The refugee problem is a problem that has been going on all over the world for many years and has reached increasingly larger dimensions. Turkey is one of the leading countries hosting Syrian refugees. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the conjunctival flora of Syrian refugees and Turkish individuals admitted to our clinic and to compare the results. Materials and Methods: A total of 96 patients, 55 Turkish and 41 Syrian, were included in the study. A swab was taken from the conjunctiva of the lower eyelid of the patients with a sterile swab. The samples were cultured on Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar, Sabouraud dextrose agar, chocolate agar and 5% sheep blood agar media in the microbiology laboratory. Results: Conjunctival culture positivity was 53.7% in Syrian refugees and 52.7% in Turkish individuals (p=0.92). Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus (CNS) was the most frequently isolated microorganism in Turks (32.7%) and Syrian refugees (46.3%) (p=0.19). CNS was isolated in 18 (32.7%) Turks, Streptococcus spp. was isolated in 10 (18.2%), Staphylococcus aureus in 7 (12.7), Corynebacterium spp. in 6 (10.9%), Bacillus spp. in 7 (12.7%), Micrococcus spp. in 1 (1.8%), Neisseria spp. in 1 (1.8%). In conjunctival cultures of Syrian refugees, CNS was isolated in 19 (46.3%), Corynebacterium spp. in 7 (17.1%), Streptococcus spp. in 3 (7.3%), Staphylococcus aureus in 2 (4.9%), Bacillus spp. in 5 (12.2%), Micrococcus spp. in 1 (1%). Conclusion: Conjunctival growth was similar in Turks and Syrian refugees and CNS was the most frequently isolated bacterium. The bacterial species isolated were similar in the two groups and there was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of these bacteria.
Keywords : Konjonktival flora, Suriyeli mülteci, Türkiye