Keratitis with Elizabethkingia meningoseptica Occurring after Contact Lens Wear: A Case Report

ABSTRACT

To report keratitis with Elizabethkingia meningoseptica, which occurred in a healthy patient after wearing contact lenses for 6 months. A 24-year-old male patient visited our hospital with ocular pain. This patient had a history of wearing soft contact lenses for 6 months, about 10 hours per day. At initial presentation, slit lamp examination showed corneal stromal infiltrations and small epithelial defect. Microbiological examinations were performed from corneal scrapings, contact lenses, and the contact lens case and solution. The culture results from contact lenses, contact lens case and solution were all positive for Elizabethkingia meningoseptica. Thus, we could confirm that the direct cause of keratitis was contamination of the contact lenses. The patient was treated with 0.3% gatifloxacin. After treatment, the corneal epithelial defect was completely healed, and a slight residual subepithelial corneal opacity was observed. We diagnosed keratitis with Elizabethkingia meningoseptica in a healthy young male wearing soft contact lenses. We conclude that Elizabethkingia meningoseptica should be considered as a rare but potential pathogen for lens-related keratitis in a healthy host.