Endophthalmitis associated with Purpureocillium lilacinum during infliximab treatment for surgically induced necrotizing scleritis, successfully treated with 27-gauge vitrectomy

UNUSUAL CASE OF CLADOSPORIUM SPHAEROSPERMUM ENDOGENOUS ENDOPHTHALMITIS DURING GOLIMUMAB THERAPY: CASE REPORT AND LITERATURE REVIEW

PURPOSE

To report a case of fungal endogenous endophthalmitis from Cladosporium sphaerospermum in a patient with juvenile idiopathic arthritis receiving chronic immunosuppressive therapy with golimumab (tumor necrosis factor-α blocker).

METHODS

Case report and review of the literature.

RESULTS

A 34-year-old woman receiving chronic immunosuppressive therapy with golimumab for juvenile idiopathic arthritis was referred for unilateral visual loss and ocular pain. Worsening conditions after corticosteroid therapy and raised serum beta-D-glucan levels pointed to an infectious fungal etiology. Panfungal polymerase chain reaction-based genetic sequencing on vitreous specimens obtained during vitrectomy detected C. sphaerospermum. The patient management combined surgical treatment and systemic and intravitreal voriconazole.

CONCLUSION

Endogenous fungal endophthalmitis can be a rare complication in patients undergoing chronic immunosuppressive therapy (including golimumab) without other predisposing factors. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment are the keys to preserve vision.

Identifying and Treating Ocular Manifestations in Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory skin condition that commonly presents with red, thickened, and scaling plaques. Given the prominent cutaneous manifestations of psoriasis, more subtle ophthalmic findings of the disease may initially go undetected, with the potential for significant ocular morbidity. Associated ocular disease can involve nearly any structure of the eye, with the eyelids most commonly being affected, resulting in relatively common signs and symptoms of ocular surface discomfort. The presence of intraocular inflammation (i.e., uveitis) or retinal involvement carry a heightened risk of vision loss, and are often more difficult to diagnose outside of the ophthalmology clinic. Early detection and treatment of ocular disease can limit morbidity and are critical to the management of these patients, which requires coordination of care between dermatologists and ophthalmologists. The objective of this article was to review the most common ocular conditions that affect psoriatic patients, when to consider referral to an ophthalmologist, and to summarize the adverse ocular effects of current psoriasis treatments.

A Case of Fungal Endophthalmitis Caused by Paecilomyces lilacinus that Might Have Spread from the Sclera into the Intraocular Space

The aim of this report was to describe a case of fungal endophthalmitis possibly caused by Paecilomyces lilacinus(PL) penetrating the sclera from a conjunctival abscess. This case study involved an 83-year-old male patient with a past history of scleral buckling, subtenon steroid injection, and cataract surgery. The vitreous opacity and a conjunctival abscess appeared in the inferonasal quadrant of his right eye at 5 months after cataract surgery. PL was isolated from a cultured conjunctival discharge specimen obtained from the patient's right eye. Although the treatment with antifungal agents relieved the conjunctival abscess, the vitreous opacity became worse. Thus, vitrectomy was subsequently performed. Intraoperative findings revealed severe vitreous opacity in the inferonasal quadrant, adjacent to the sclera at the site of the conjunctival abscess. Our findings indicate that fungal endophthalmitis appeared to have been caused by PL in the conjunctival abscess that may have penetrated the sclera and spread into the intraocular space.

A review of ocular adverse events of biological anti-TNF drugs

The recent introduction of biological agents has revolutionized the treatment of chronic immune-inflammatory diseases; however, this new therapy did not come without significant side effects.Through large controlled studies indicating decrease in the number of uveitis flares, the role of TNF inhibitors therapy for non-infectious uveitis gained more ground. Paradoxically to its therapeutic effect, there are reports associating these drugs with the onset or recurrence of inflammatory eye disease.A number of studies have suggested possible roles for anti-TNF-α agents in precipitating or worsening an underlying inflammatory process, including the hypothesis of a disequilibrium in cytokine balance, but to date the mechanisms responsible for these adverse events are not fully understood.A PubMed literature search was performed using the following terms: ophthalmic complication, uveitis, inflammatory eye disease, optic neuritis, neuropathy, adverse events, anti-TNF, TNF alpha inhibitor, infliximab, etanercept, adalimumab, golimumab, certolizumab, and biologics. The data presented in this study was mainly derived from the use of TNF inhibitors in rheumatology, essentially because these drugs have been used for a longer period in this medical field.Many of the ocular adverse events reported on this review may be considered a paradoxical effect of anti-TNF therapy. We found a variety of data associating new onset of uveitis with anti-TNF therapy for rheumatic conditions, predominantly under etanercept.In conclusion, although there is increasing data on ocular adverse events, it remains to be seen whether the suggested link between TNF inhibitors and the onset of ocular inflammation is substantiated by more quality data. Nevertheless, the awareness of potential treatment side effects with anti-TNF should be highlighted.

Ocular side effects of antirheumatic medications: a qualitative review

Topic

This paper reviews the ocular side effects of medications used in the treatment of rheumatological conditions.

Clinical relevance

Rheumatic diseases are inflammatory conditions that may affect the skin, blood vessels, joints, muscles and internal organs. Immunosuppressive agents are often used as treatment and while powerful, they carry side effects and toxicities that need careful monitoring. Ophthalmic complications have been reported with the use of antirheumatic medications; however, there is a lack of literature synthesising these reports. This paper addresses this gap and hopes to inform both rheumatologists and ophthalmologists as they work together on the management of patients with rheumatological conditions.

Methods

PubMed literature search was conducted from November to September 2019 searching for ocular side effects with the use of 25 rheumatological drugs.

Results

A total of 111 papers were included in this review. Adverse side effects were divided into non-infectious and infectious causes. Traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were associated with pruritus, irritation and dryness of the conjunctiva while biologic DMARDS showed reports of new-onset/recurrent uveitis and demyelinating conditions. Infectious side effects included episodes of cytomegalovirus retinitis, toxoplasmic chorioretinitis and endophthalmitis. Other serious side effects were encountered and included in this review.

Conclusion

The goal of this paper is to inform healthcare providers about potential ocular side effects from rheumatological medications. Healthcare providers are encouraged to learn more about these ophthalmic complications and find relevance within their clinical practice.

Human Pathogenic Paecilomyces from Food

Paecilomyces spp. and Byssochlamys spp. are heat-resistant fungi important to industry because they can cause food and beverage spoilage, incurring economic loss. The consequences of food or beverage fungal colonization is the loss of nutritional value, structure and taste, and the possibility of producing toxic secondary metabolites that may result in medical problems. Furthermore, these fungi can infect animals and humans and it is unknown if contaminated foods may be fomites. P. variotii is the principal agent of food spoilage or contamination and it is most frequently associated with human hyalohyphomycosis with clinical manifestations including peritonitis, cutaneous and disseminated infections, among others. Byssochlamys spp. had not been identified as a cause of systemic infection until the case of a dog with a fungal infection, after immunosuppressive therapy. P. variotii has clinical importance because it causes severe infection in immunosuppressed patients and also because the number of immunocompetent infected patients is increasing. This review draws attention to the ability of these species to grow at high temperatures, to colonize food products, and to cause human disease.