Epidemiology of Keratoconjunctivitis Across India from 2017 to 2019: A Multicentric Hospital-Based Study

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.