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Review
. 2019 Dec 3;12(12):e231642.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2019-231642.

Fulminant Sphingomonas paucimobilis keratitis: case study and review of literature

Affiliations
Review

Fulminant Sphingomonas paucimobilis keratitis: case study and review of literature

Rinky Agarwal et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

Sphingomonas paucimobilis is a low-virulence gram-negative bacillus known to cause various ocular infections such as endophthalmitis, panophthalmitis and keratitis that are usually associated with an underlying risk factor such as peri-partum or postpartum phase, cataract surgery, contact lens use, neurotrophic keratopathy or ocular trauma. We report a case of spontaneously occurring perforated corneal ulcer caused by the organism in a young man managed by penetrating keratoplasty. The course was followed by endophthalmitis with graft infection culminating in phthisis bulbi despite aggressive medical and surgical management. Along with reporting this case, we also present a review of literature on ocular infections caused by the same organism.

Keywords: Iris; anterior chamber; ophthalmology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Slit lamp examination of a patient at presentation. (A) Perforated corneal ulcer with yellow infiltrate. (B) Well-buried sutures and edematous graft as seen on day 1 post-therapeutic keratoplasty.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Shrunken eyeball and opacified cornea secondary to endophthalmitis and graft infection.

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