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Penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae keratitis
J Wilkins1, J P Whitcher, T P Margolis
1Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0944, USA.
Abstract:
Although Streptococcus pneumoniae is usually extremely sensitive to penicillin, recent reports in the nonophthalmic literature indicate a rise in the prevalence of penicillin-resistant pneumococci. We report a case of penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae keratitis in a 51-year-old woman with severe rheumatoid arthritis. This report is only the second such case in the ophthalmic literature and may indicate the emergence of penicillin-resistant strains of S. pneumoniae as ocular pathogens.
Insights
Penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae is emerging as an ocular pathogen. A case of S. pneumoniae keratitis resistant to penicillin was observed in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
Background:
- Streptococcus pneumoniae is typically sensitive to penicillin.
- Recent non-ophthalmic literature suggests increasing penicillin resistance in pneumococci.
- Ocular infections caused by penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae are rare.