Bacterial Keratitis: Clinical Features, Causative Organisms, and Outcome During a 13-year Study Period.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to review clinical features, causative organisms, complications, and outcome of bacterial keratitis cases at a tertiary eye hospital. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on clinically diagnosed bacterial keratitis cases from 2007 to 2019. Poor outcome was flagged if any of the following was identified: final visual acuity (VA) worse than 20/200, decrease in VA (1 line or worse compared with presenting VA), corneal perforation, endophthalmitis, failed graft, or cases requiring enucleation or evisceration. RESULTS: The study included 263 cases of bacterial keratitis with 169 cases (64.3%) of culture-positive bacterial keratitis. Gram-positive bacteria were found to be the causative organism in 106 cases (62.8%). The most common types were coagulase-negative staphylococci (23.1%) and Pseudomonas (23.1%). Culture-positive bacterial keratitis was associated with the development of anterior chamber reaction (≥1+) on multivariate analysis [adjusted odds ratio (OR): 3.03, confidence interval (CI): 1.23-7.45, P = 0.016]. The complications that occurred in the current cohort included visually significant scar (64.7%), perforation (10.8%), cataract (8.8%), nonhealing epithelial defects (8.0%), corneal neovascularization (4.9%), endophthalmitis (4.6%), and hypotony (1.5%). On multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus (adjusted OR: 3.51, CI: 1.59-7.76, P = 0.002), poor presenting best-corrected VA (adjusted OR: 3.95, CI 1.96-7.96, P < 0.001), and positive cultures (adjusted OR: 2.36, CI: 1.11-5.00, P = 0.025) were associated with poor outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Culture-negative keratitis had less severe infection and better outcomes when compared to culture-positive bacterial keratitis. Factors associated with poor outcome included diabetes, poor presenting VA, and positive cultures.

Herpes Simplex Virus Keratitis Reactivation after SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination: A Report of Two Cases.

PURPOSE: To report two cases of herpes simplex virus keratitis reactivation following Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 (BNT162b2) mRNA vaccination. METHODS: Two patients (one male, age 42 years, and one female, age 29 years) who are known to have herpetic keratitis presented to our emergency room in a time frame between 4 days and 4 weeks of receiving the vaccine. One patient presented with necrotizing stromal keratitis; the other presented with endotheliitis and epithelial keratitis. PCR for herpes simplex virus (HSV) was obtained from the two patients, and all cases received systemic acyclovir. RESULTS: PCR for HSV came positive in both cases. Patients responded well to the provided treatment. CONCLUSION: Ocular herpetic infection may be activated by COVID-19 (BNT162b2) mRNA vaccine. Treating physician should be alert to such associations, and patients should be followed closely. No direct causality has been proven, but further reporting and investigating similar conditions is recommended.

Superior oblique myositis mimics a subperiosteal abscess in a patient with sinusitis / Miosite oblíqua superior mimetiza abscesso subperiosteal em paciente com sinusite

ABSTRACT Isolated superior oblique myositis is a rare variant of idiopathic orbital myositis. We are reporting for the first time the case of a 19-year-old woman who had isolated superior oblique myositis with sinusitis that mimics a subperiosteal abscess. Despite the typical history of upper respiratory tract infection and laboratory test results and initial radiological findings suggestive of orbital cellulitis secondary to sinusitis, the initial response to systemic steroid with subsequent imaging changes and the relapse after cessation of steroid therapy helped us reach the diagnosis.

RESUMO A miosite oblíqua superior isolada é uma variante muito rara da miosite orbital idiopática. Trata-se do primeiro relato de uma mulher de 19 anos como um caso de miosite oblíqua superior isolada com sinusite que mimetiza abscesso subperiosteal. Apesar da história típica de infecção do trato respiratório superior, exames laboratoriais e achados radiológicos iniciais sugestivos de celulite orbital secundária à sinusite, a resposta inicial ao esteróide sistêmico com subsequentes alterações de imagem e recaída, após a cessação do esteróide, nos ajudou a alcançar o diagnóstico.

Superior oblique myositis mimics a subperiosteal abscess in a patient with sinusitis.

Isolated superior oblique myositis is a rare variant of idiopathic orbital myositis. We are reporting for the first time the case of a 19-year-old woman who had isolated superior oblique myositis with sinusitis that mimics a subperiosteal abscess. Despite the typical history of upper respiratory tract infection and laboratory test results and initial radiological findings suggestive of orbital cellulitis secondary to sinusitis, the initial response to systemic steroid with subsequent imaging changes and the relapse after cessation of steroid therapy helped us reach the diagnosis.

Whipple's disease scleral nodules: a novel presentation in 2 consecutive patients.

BACKGROUND: Whipple's disease (WD) is a rare, chronic, infection caused by gram-positive filamentous aerobic actinobacterium Tropheryma whipplei occurs classically in the gastrointestinal tract and shows histopathologically foamy macrophages with typical numerous PAS-positive, non-acid fast particles. Ocular WD in the form of uveitis may occur in the absence of systemic disease but has not been reported to present with scleral manifestation. We describe for the first time to the best of our knowledge 2 cases of scleral nodules with typical histopathological morphology of WD and without systemic involvement. CASE PRESENTATION: The first was a 53-year old diabetic male farmer who presented with 2 nontender right eye scleral nodules for 3 months, had a negative systemic workup, and surgical excision showed Periodic acid Schiff (PAS)-positive eosinophilic structures inside macrophages. Grocott's methenamine silver (GMS) stain and acid-fast bacilli (AFB) stain of the tissue itself were negative. The second case was a 60-year old male who presented with an asymptomatic superior scleral nodule for 4 months, which showed similar appearance and negative GMS and AFB stains. CONCLUSION: WD should be included in the differential diagnosis of scleral nodules even in the absence of systemic symptoms. Surgical excision without systemic treatment resulted in successful outcome without recurrence.

Prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome among Qassim school teachers, and its impact on their performance and life duties.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among school teachers in Qassim region,  Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and it's impact on their performance -as teachers- and on life duties.   METHODS: A cross-sectional study was held in Qassim region, KSA between 2012 and 2013. The study was conducted among 300 school teachers selected by multistage stratified random sample method in 2013. The sample size was calculated according to the formula: n = (Z2 * (p) * (q))/c2. A confidential, anonymous, and a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect personal and sociodemographic data, teacher  performance  oriented  questions were included. Rome III Criteria were used. Teachers with red flag symptoms were excluded.  RESULTS: The prevalence of IBS symptoms among teachers in Qassim region of KSA is 40.7% with no significant gender predilection. The IBS symptoms significantly affect the work performance of the teachers (61.6%) with high absenteeism rate (46.6%), especially among 51-60 years and 21-30 years, age groups (p less than 0.05 in chi-square test). Significant proportion (45.3%) of IBS criteria +ve teachers find IBS symptoms to be hindrance in their life duties.  CONCLUSION: Prevalence of IBS in Qassim school teachers is becoming an important issue with 40.7% of teachers reporting symptoms suggestive of IBS in a random sample. Majority of teachers are having frequent performance  problems - as teachers - and in usual life duties associated with their IBS Symptoms. Significantly, IBS criteria +ve teachers are more likely to have discipline problems compared with healthy teachers. We recommend a health care program to tackle the problem among the teachers, to improve their performance and reduce working hours loss. Also, follow up studies need to be conducted to assess the health care of IBS patients in local public health care centers.