Isolated conjunctival granuloma as a first manifestation of Parinaud's oculoglandular syndrome: A case report

Progressive Necrotizing Ocular Surface Disease, Despite Immunosuppression

A 60-year-old man was referred with 2 years of left conjunctivitis that persisted despite antibiotic and systemic corticosteroid therapy. The severity and extent of surface disease had increased slowly after prior dacryocystorhinostomy. Subsequent conjunctival biopsies demonstrated granulomas with patchy necrosis but no evidence of malignancy or organisms; systemic screening for sarcoidosis and tuberculosis was negative. A markedly thickened and inflamed left ocular surface was present on referral, with areas of conjunctival ischemia and patchy white slough on the tarsi. Further ocular surface biopsy did not reveal malignancy, and therefore mycobacterial infection was considered a possible cause. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was cultured, albeit only after repeated conjunctival swabs and biopsies. Appropriate treatment led to a very rapid resolution of ocular surface disease. Localized periocular tuberculosis is extremely rare outside developing nations, and its rarity may cause this differential diagnosis for persistent severe ocular surface disease to be overlooked in industrialized nations.

Unilateral Conjunctivitis With Multifocal Granulomatous Lesions in a Child Aged 10 Years

This case report discusses a diagnosis of Parinaud oculoglandular syndrome in a child aged 10 years who presented with a granulomatous conjunctivitis in the left eye.

Multiple ocular manifestations in a case of cat scratch disease without systemic signs

A 43-year-old woman presented with impaired vision and redness in her left eye of 2 weeks duration. She had a pet cat that scratched her forehead 3 weeks before she presented to us. She had no systemic signs such as lymphadenopathy, fever, or fatigue. The respective right and left corrected visual acuities were 20/16 and 20/2000. The anterior chamber of the left eye exhibited inflammation; a fundus examination of that eye revealed optic disc swelling and a serous macular detachment with hard stellate exudates. Based on the recent cat scratch and the ocular findings, cat scratch disease (CSD) was suspected. The results of serologic testing showed elevated titres of IgM and IgG antibodies to Bartonella henselae. Administration of doxycycline and a steroid was initiated. This report describes the occurrence of multiple ocular manifestations of CSD in both the posterior and the anterior segment.

Not cat-scratch disease: Bartonella henselae neuroretinitis associated with non-feline pet mammals

To describe the ocurrence of Bartonella-associated neuroretinitis secondary to non-feline pet exposure, we retrospectively reviewed medical records and imaging from patients with a clinical and serologic diagnosis of Bartonella henselae (BH). Retinal imaging included color fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fluorescein angiography (FA). Four eyes of two patients with cat-scratch disease were included in this study, with a mean age of 35 years. The mean follow-up was 13 months, after presentation of infectious neuroretinitis. Both patients suffered from bilateral neuroretinitis after direct contact with family pets (ferret and guinea pig). All patients were treated with a long-term systemic antimicrobial therapy. Visual acuity in all improved to 20/30 or better at six months. In conclusion, humans may develop cat-scratch disease when they are exposed to Bartonella henselae (BH) in the saliva of infected cats or BH-containing flea feces reaching the systemic circulation through scratches or mucous membranes. As the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) may reside on non-feline mammals, Bartonella-associated neuroretinitis may result from contact with other furred family pets.

Parinaud's Oculoglandular Syndrome: A Case in an Adult with Flea-Borne Typhus and a Review

Parinaud's oculoglandular syndrome (POGS) is defined as unilateral granulomatous conjunctivitis and facial lymphadenopathy. The aims of the current study are to describe a case of POGS with uveitis due to flea-borne typhus (FBT) and to present a diagnostic and therapeutic approach to POGS. The patient, a 38-year old man, presented with persistent unilateral eye pain, fever, rash, preauricular and submandibular lymphadenopathy, and laboratory findings of FBT: hyponatremia, elevated transaminase and lactate dehydrogenase levels, thrombocytopenia, and hypoalbuminemia. His condition rapidly improved after starting doxycycline. Soon after hospitalization, he was diagnosed with uveitis, which responded to topical prednisolone. To derive a diagnostic and empiric therapeutic approach to POGS, we reviewed the cases of POGS from its various causes since 1976 to discern epidemiologic clues and determine successful diagnostic techniques and therapies; we found multiple cases due to cat scratch disease (CSD; due to Bartonella henselae) (twelve), tularemia (ten), sporotrichosis (three), Rickettsia conorii (three), R. typhi/felis (two), and herpes simplex virus (two) and single cases due to tuberculosis, paracoccidioidomycosis, Yersinia enterocolitica, Pasteurella multocida, Chlamydia trachomatis, Epstein-Barr virus, and Nocardia brasiliensis. Preauricular lymphadenopathy is a common clinical clue for POGS and is unusual in viral and bacterial conjunctivitis. For POGS, the major etiological consideration is B. henselae, which is usually diagnosed by the indirect immunofluorescence serologic technique. Although CSD POGS is usually self-limited, oral azithromycin may hasten resolution. However, other possible etiologies of POGS may also arise from cat or cat flea contact: sporotrichosis, tularemia, Pasteurella multocida, or FBT. If there is no cat contact, other epidemiologic and clinical findings should be sought, because several of these conditions, such as tularemia, paracoccidioidomycosis, and tuberculosis, may have grave systemic complications. Although there are usually no long-term ocular sequelae if POGS is properly diagnosed, it still may cause prolonged ocular discomfort and require multiple physician contacts.

Ocular complications of cat scratch disease

Cat scratch disease (CSD) in humans is caused by infection with Bartonella henselae or other Bartonella spp. The name of the disease reflects the fact that patients frequently have a history of contact (often involving bites or scratches) with infected cats. Patients with CSD typically develop lesions at the site where the skin is broken together with regional lymphadenopathy but may go on to exhibit systemic symptoms and with deep-seated infections at a range of sites including the eye. Patients with CSD may present with a range of inflammatory eye conditions, including Parinaud's oculoglandular syndrome, neuroretinitis, multifocal retinitis, uveitis and retinal artery occlusion. Bartonella spp. are fastidious bacteria that are difficult to culture from clinical specimens so microbiological diagnosis is frequently made on the basis of positive serology for anti-Bartonella antibodies or detection of bacterial DNA by PCR. Due to the lack of clinical trials, the evidence base for optimal management of patients with CSD-associated eye infections (including the role of antibiotics) is weak, being derived from single reports or small, uncontrolled case series.