Posttraumatic cellulitis and ulcerative conjunctivitis caused by Yersinia enterocolitica O:8.

Author(s): Mills DM, Meyer DR

Affiliation(s): Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery, Albany Medical Center, Lions Eye Institute, Albany, New York 12159, USA. davidmills4186@msn.com

Publication date & source: 2008-09, Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg., 24(5):425-6.

Publication type: Case Reports

A 55-year-old white man presented with orbital cellulitis and suspicion of an intraorbital foreign body after ocular trauma. He underwent orbital exploration, but no intraorbital foreign bodies were identified. Intraoperative orbital and conjunctival cultures grew Yersinia enterocolitica O:8. The patient's signs and symptoms resolved with intravenous antibiotic treatment after this exploratory orbitotomy. This is the first case, to our knowledge, of human orbital cellulitis caused by Y. enterocolitica O:8. The single visible interpalpebral conjunctival ulceration was suspected to be an entry wound by the patient's primary physician, the emergency room physician, and the orbital surgeon prior to surgical investigation, at which time all the other ulcerations were identified. Therefore, the physical manifestations of this rare but important infection are presented because they may mislead clinicians in suspecting an intraorbital foreign body.