Purulent Ocular Discharge in Neonates: Significance of Chlamydia trachomatis

Abstract

We obtained cultures for bactend chlamydiae om 100 infants with conjunctivitis that began during the first month of life. Sixty-nine infants were evaluated during well-child visits (group A); 31 were seen specifically for the ocular discharge (group B). Potentially pathogenic bacteria, predominantly Staphylococcus aureus, were cultured from one third of the infants in each group. Chtamydia trachoinatis was recovered from three infants (4%) in group A and from ten (32%) in group B. Three infants with chiamydial conjunctivitis (two in group A, one in group B) had only mild inflammation. Initial treatment with topical antibiotics was unsuccessful in eliminating the organism from seven of 11 infants.