B+L reports latest ARMOR study findings on bacterial resistance in ocular infections

Rochester, NY-Bausch + Lomb (B+L) researchers have reported the most recent findings of the ARMOR (Antibiotic Resistance Monitoring in Ocular MicroRganisms) surveillance study of antibiotic resistance patterns in eye care.

For the fourth consecutive year, ARMOR study participants collected bacterial isolates of known ocular pathogens and subjected them to antibiotic susceptibility testing. The 2012 data set included 456 isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Haemophilus influenzae from 25 sites across the United States.

Study authors reported that resistance rates have remained relatively stable over the 4-year period. However, several bacterial isolates demonstrated resistance to many common antibiotics. For example, more than 33% of S. aureus and CoNS isolates were resistant to three or more antibiotics, especially MRSA and methicillin-resistant CoNS isolates that were multi-drug resistant more than 73% of the time.

"Because clinicians treat bacterial conjunctivitis empirically in the majority of cases, the data collected in the ongoing ARMOR study is critically important to guide therapeutic decision-making," said Terrence P. O'Brien, MD, Charlotte Breyer Rodgers Distinguished Chair in Ophthalmology and Co-Director of the Ocular Microbiology Laboratory, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami

“In light of the growing problem of bacterial resistance in the community and in medicine generally, the authors' conclusion that continued vigilance is warranted is exceptionally prudent," Dr. Rodgers added.