Context: Number of blind people in the world is 45 million. Out of which 5.4 million blind people are in India. Corneal Ulcer is a major cause of blindness throughout the world. About 10% cases of blindness are due to Corneal Ulcer. Corneal Ulcers can be caused by exogenous infections i.e. by viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites and sometimes it is allergic in nature or it can be due to endogenous infections. Actinomycosis is a rare cause of ulcerative keratitis. Objective: To isolate and identify Actinomyces from Corneal Ulcer and study their susceptibility and resistance pattern with various antibiotics. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 samples were collected during period of June 2014 to March 2015 from ophthalmology hospital, government hospital and clinical laboratories. Samples were collected in sterile container containing 0.5ml of Brain Heart Infusion Broth (BHI) as enrichment culture medium that supports the growth. Isolation of Actinomycetes has been done by using several selective media. Their identification was confirmed by Morphological, Biochemical and Cultural characteristics. After identification Actinomycetes species were subjected to antibiotic resistance and sensitivity pattern have been carried out by using disc diffusion technique. Results: The results of present study show that Vancomycin is 100% resistant to Actinomycetes and Ciprofloxacin, Ofloxacin were effective against Actinomycetes species in the treatment of severe Actinomycosis. Conclusion: Ciprofloxacin and Ofloxacin for the initial empirical treatment of Actinomycosis is a good option. Prompt diagnosis of corneal ulcers and treatment with appropriate antibiotics prevent blindness and devastating visual disability.

Keywords: Antibiotic Resistance; Corneal Ulcer; Actinomycetes.