This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Aetiology

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Commonly:

  • acute - Streptococcus pneumoniae; Haemophilus aegyptius (in tropical climates only); Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis; Haemophilus influenzae
  • chronic - Staphylococcus aureus, often as a complication of dacrocystitis or obstruction of the nasolacrimal duct

    • infection among children is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Staphylococcus species
    • most adult cases of acute bacterial conjunctivitis are caused by gram-positive organisms. Staphylococcus species, including Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus species, and Gram-negative organisms such as Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas species
    • Neisseria infection should be suspected when severe, bilateral, purulent conjunctivitis is present in a sexually active adult or in a neonate three to five days postpartum

Rarely:

  • Streptococci pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Reference:

  1. Morrow GL, Abbot RL. Conjunctivitis. Am Fam Physician. 1998 Feb 15;57(4):735-46.

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.