Current usefulness of Crede's method of preventing neonatal ophthalmia

The conjunctiva's bacterial profile at birth and 1 week after Crede's gonoccocal ophthalmic prophylaxis was evaluated over a 3-month period using culture and direct immunofluorescence. Thirty-four neonates received 10% silver vitellinate and 42 sterile saline. Chlamydia trachomatis was recovered in 7/34 and 9/42 neonates receiving silver vitellinate and saline at birth and in 8/34 and 12/42 after 1 week, respectively. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was not identified. Crede's may not be the ideal prophylactic method in areas with a low prevalence of N. gonorrhoeae.