ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF PROVIDENCIA STUARTII AND PROVIDENCIA RETTGERI FROM DACRYOCYSTITIS

Objective: Background: Dacryocystitis means inflammation of the lacrimal sac. It may be acute or chronic, causing severe infections sometimes. Providencia spp. is a Gram-negative bacterium and includes 8 species. Providencia stuartii is present in every place in the environment and is resistant to many β-lactam antibiotics. Providencia rettgeri is a Gram-negative bacterium and is an opportunistic pathogen in both humans and animals. Methods: We collected 200 bacterial swabs from the Eye Center in Al-Salam General Hospital in Mosul City. The samples were diagnosed phenotypically, then with a Vitek2 device, and then molecularly using the 16s rRNA gene. Then an antibiotic sensitivity test was performed on them, and the biofilm was diagnosed using modified Congo red medium. Results: 160 bacterial samples were obtained out of a total of 200 samples, but after being diagnosed with the Vitek2 device, we obtained 7 different bacterial isolates, including Providencia spp. After Molecular Diagnostics, two isolates were obtained, one belonging to the Providencia stuartii and the second to the Providencia rettgeri, and they were registered in the global GenBank. The results of growth in the Congo medium showed. Novelty: We concluded that Providencia stuartii and Providencia rettgeri, one of the causes of dacryocystitis, affect males more than females, affect the right eye more, and can resist many antibiotics; the antibiotic levofloxacin is the best for their treatment.