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ABSTRACT
Purpose
Conjunctivitis is one of the most common ocular conditions in clinical practice. Human adenoviruses have been the common causative agents known to cause epidemic kerato-conjunctivitis (EKC) in India from 1996 to 2019 with a positivity range of 13.8%–65.2%. The current study was initiated to throw light on the distribution of keratoconjunctivitis causing agents across India covering a span of 3 years.
Methods
A total of 709 swabs were collected from patients in viral transport medium (VTM), and real-time PCR was done to identify agents including Adenovirus (HAdV), Enterovirus, HSV, and Chlamydia.
Results
47.8% of the samples were positive for HAdV followed by HSV (3.4%), Enterovirus (2.7%), and Chlamydia (0.6%). Overall, 386 people (54.4%) tested positive for one of these infections, with Chandigarh (88.4%) and Port Blair (71.7%) showing higher positivity rate. Pre-auricular lymphadenopathy and follicles were significantly associated with increased risk of conjunctivitis.
Conclusion
Epidemiology of keratoconjunctivitis in the current study revealed HAdV to be predominant causative agent. Knowledge gained in such epidemiological studies guide us in outbreak expectations, limit antibiotic over-prescription, and enhance disease prevention.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the Director General and Secretary, Department of Health Research (DHR) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for the support and funding for this study.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Author contributions
Conceptualization and design
Rahul Dhodapkar, N Muruganandam, Mini P Singh
Methodology
Jayanti Shastry, Anil C Phukan, Subashini Kaliaperumal, R.K. Ratho, Jagat Ram, MadhavJagannath Sathe, Avinash Ingole, DarshanaBabubhai Rathod, Benjamin Nongrum, RehnumaParvez, Vineeta Malik
Data curation
Ferdinamarie Sharmila, Jayanti Shastry, Anil C Phukan, Subashini Kaliaperumal, R.K. Ratho, Jagat Ram, MadhavJagannath Sathe, Avinash Ingole, DarshanaBabubhai Rathod, Benjamin Nongrum, RehnumaParvez, Vineeta Malik
Data analysis and interpretation
Ferdinamarie Sharmila, Kannan Thiruvengadam, N Muruganandam
Writing – original draft preparation
Ferdinamarie Sharmila, Kannan Thiruvengadam
Writing – review and editing
Rahul Dhodapkar, N Muruganandam
Data availability statement
The data used in this manuscript can be availed from the corresponding author based on the reasonable request.
Ethical approval
This study was approved by institute ethics committee (JIP/IEC/20 17/0279).
Informed consent
Informed consent was obtained from each individual enrolled in this study. A written informed consent form was obtained before the sample collection. In the case of children and illiterate, the consent form was obtained from the parents or guardian.