Incidence and Risk Factors of Ocular Infection Caused by Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia

Staphylococcus aureusbacteremia (SAB) often leads to ocular infections, including endophthalmitis and chorioretinitis. However, the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of ocular infections complicated by SAB are largely unknown. We retrospectively analyzed the incidence and risk factors of ocular involvement in a prospective cohort of patients with SAB at a tertiary-care hospital. Ophthalmologists reviewed the fundoscopic findings and classified the ocular infections as endophthalmitis or chorioretinitis. During the 5-year study period, 1,109 patients had SAB, and data for 612 (55%) who underwent ophthalmic examinations within 14 days after SAB onset were analyzed. Of those 612 patients, 56 (9% [95% confidence interval [CI], 7 to 12%]) had ocular involvement, including 15 (2.5%) with endophthalmitis and 41 (6.7%) with chorioretinitis. In a multivariate analysis, infective endocarditis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.74 [95% CI, 2.25 to 14.64]) and metastatic infection (aOR, 2.38 [95% CI, 1.29 to 4.39]) were independent risk factors for ocular involvement. Of the 47 patients with ocular involvement who could communicate, only 17 (36%) had visual disturbances. Two-thirds of the patients with endophthalmitis (10/15 patients) were treated with intravitreal antibiotics combined with parenteral antibiotics, whereas all of the patients with chorioretinitis were treated only with systemic antibiotics. No patients became blind. Among 42 patients for whom follow-up assessments were available, the ocular lesions improved in 29 (69%) but remained the same in the others. Ocular involvement was independently associated with death within 30 days after SAB onset. Ocular involvement is not uncommon among patients with SAB. Routine ophthalmic examinations should be considered for patients with infective endocarditis or metastatic infections caused by SAB.