A Case of Achromobacter Xylosoxidans Keratitis

You Ra Kim; In Cheon You; Hye Soo Lee

doi:10.3341/jkos.2011.52.11.1362

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Kim, You, and Lee: A Case of Achromobacter Xylosoxidans Keratitis

Original Article

J Korean Ophthalmol Soc 2011;52(11):1362-1365.

Published online: 7 September 2011

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2011.52.11.1362

A Case of Achromobacter Xylosoxidans Keratitis

You Ra Kim, MD¹, In Cheon You, MD¹, Hye Soo Lee, MD²

¹Department of Ophthalmology, Chonbuk National University School of Medicine, Jeonju, Korea

²Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chonbuk National University School of Medicine, Jeonju, Korea

Address reprint requests to In Cheon You, MD Department of Ophthalmology, Chonbuk National University Hospital #634-18 Geumam-dong, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju 561-712, Korea Tel: 82-63-250-1965, Fax: 82-63-250-1960, E-mail: you2ic@paran.com

Received 3 December 2010 Revised 13 February 2011 Accepted 20 September 2011

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

To report a case of corneal ulcer caused by Achromobacter xylosoxidans in a farmer.

Case summary

A previously healthy 68-year-old man presented with unilateral redness and irritation after his eye was grazed by a cow's tail. The patient had previously been treated in a local clinic for four days without improvement. Bacterial staining, culture, and an antibiotic sensitivity test were performed from a corneal scrape. The cultures revealed growth of A. xylosoxidans. The patient was treated with moxifloxacin and ceftazidime eyedrops. After three months of treatment, the infection was resolved with mild scarring.

Conclusions

Although it is a rare pathogen, A. xylosoxidans should be considered as a potential pathogen in patients presenting with corneal ulceration due to trauma from an object contaminated by soil or animal feces and having a slowly progressive disease and localized infiltrate but showing Gram-negative bacilli on smear examination.

Keywords: Achromobacter xylosoxidans, Corneal ulcer, Gram-negative bacilli, Soil

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Figure 1.

Corneal ulcer with deep stromal infiltration and linear hypopyon were observed on initial presentation.

Figure 2.

(A) Culture of corneal scrape shows growth of Achromobacter xylosoxidans (Culture media: Mac Conkey agar). (B) Stain of corneal scrape shows gram negative bacilli.

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