[A case of corneal abscess with impetigo contagiosa]

Impetigo contagiosa often occurs on the face of children. Although the eyelid and conjunctiva are frequently affected, no corneal involvement has been reported in Japan. We encountered a case of impetigo contagiosa with corneal abscess. The patient, an 8-year-old boy, complained of pain and presented with corneal abscess and iritis in the right eye as well as eruptions in the inferior eyelid and around the anterior nostrils. He was diagnosed as having impetigo contagiosa with corneal abscess. Because the corneal abscess and eruptions occurred at the same time and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus with identical drug sensitivity was isolated from both lesions, we considered the corneal lesion as a part of the impetigo contagiosa. When impetigo contagiosa occurs around the eye, especially on the eyelids, a careful examination of the anterior segment of the eye is needed.