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Case Reports
. 2023 May 22:11:2050313X231159964.
doi: 10.1177/2050313X231159964. eCollection 2023.

Pseudomembranous conjunctivitis caused by Escherichia coli in a newborn

Meenal Thadasina  1 , Peter Paul Lim  1 , Jaskirat Takhar  1 , Margaret Kuper-Sasse  1 , David Zhang  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Pseudomembranous conjunctivitis caused by Escherichia coli in a newborn

Meenal Thadasina et al. SAGE Open Med Case Rep. .

Abstract

Pseudomembranous conjunctivitis, caused by inflammation of the conjunctiva, is characterized by conjunctival injection, mucopurulent discharge, and formation of a thin membrane overlying the conjunctiva. This is often caused by a viral or bacterial infection. This case report discusses pseudomembranous conjunctivitis from Escherichia coli in a newborn infant which, to our knowledge, has not been reported in relevant literature. This infection was likely transmitted perinatally given that the mother of the infant had blood cultures growing E. coli with the same susceptibilities as the newborn. In addition, we discuss relevant literature on the subject including etiologies, management, and complications of pseudomembranous conjunctivitis.

Keywords: E. coli; Pseudomembranous conjunctivitis; newborn.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Erythematous pseudomembrane coating the bulbar and tarsal conjunctiva of the left eye.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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