Uveitis induced by programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor therapy with nivolumab in metastatic melanoma patient.

Nivolumab, a new immune checkpoint inhibitor, binds to programmed cell death-protein 1 receptors on T cell, blockades binding of its ligands, and augments the immunologic reaction against tumor cells. Augmented immune response, however, may lead to immune-related adverse events. Herein we describe a rare case of bilateral anterior uveitis induced by nivolumab treatment for metastatic melanoma. A 54-year-old woman presented with mild conjunctival redness and blurred vision two months after initiating nivolumab treatment. Ophthalmological examination revealed bilateral non-granulomatous anterior uveitis. The flare values in the anterior chamber were monitored as an objective inflammatory index during nivolumab therapy and clinical time course was reported in this paper.

Fluctuation of Bacteria on Bleb Surface After Trabeculectomy With Adjunctive Mitomycin C.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the bacterial and floral patterns on the bleb surface are affected by the season in eyes that had undergone trabeculectomy with adjunctive mitomycin C. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-four glaucoma patients who had an avascular or a hypovascular cystic filtering bleb were studied. Swabs of the bleb surface were taken 4 times in 1 year. The samples were cultured, and all organisms isolated were identified and tested for antibiotic sensitivity and resistance. RESULTS: Of the 176 specimens, 48 tested positive in cultures. Out of the 44 glaucoma eyes that had undergone trabeculectomy, 30 (68.2%) eyes were culture positive. A total of 58 strains were isolated. The organisms isolated were 22 strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis, 21 strains of Propionibacterium acnes, 8 strains of Corynebacterium sp., 5 strains of Staphylococcus sp., and 1 strain of both Neisseria sp., and Candida parapsilosis. Fifteen eyes had a positive culture ≥2 times, and in 10 of these eyes, the same strain was isolated. There was no resistance to vancomycin by S. epidermidis, P. acnes, and Corynebacterium sp. All of the isolates of S.epidermidis were sensitive to minocycline and amikacin. The rate of bacterial detection in the spring was 13.6%, summer was 20.5%, autumn was 45.5%, and winter was 29.5%. The increase in the incidence of bacterial presence during autumn was significant (P=0.006; the Fisher exact probability test). CONCLUSIONS: It is not rare to detect the bacterial organisms on the bleb surface in glaucomatous eyes that had undergone trabeculectomy. The prevalence varied with the season and was highest in the autumn.

Inhibitory effects of antimicrobial agents against Fusarium species.

We investigated the inhibitory effects of antibacterial, biocidal, and antifungal agents against Fusarium spp. Seven Fusarium spp: four F. falciforme (Fusarium solani species complex), one Fusarium spp, one Fusarium spp. (Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex), and one F. napiforme (Gibberella fujikuroi species complex), isolated from eyes with fungal keratitis were used in this study. Their susceptibility to antibacterial agents: flomoxef, imipenem, gatifloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, gentamicin, tobramycin, and Tobracin® (contained 3,000 µg/ml of tobramycin and 25 µg/ml of benzalkonium chloride (BAK), a biocidal agent: BAK, and antifungal agents: amphotericin B, pimaricin (natamycin), fluconazole, itraconazole, miconazole, voriconazole, and micafungin, was determined by broth microdilution tests. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), 100% inhibitory concentration (IC100), and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against the Fusarium isolates were determined. BAK had the highest activity against the Fusarium spp. except for the antifungal agents. Three fluoroquinolones and two aminoglycosides had inhibitory effects against the Fusarium spp. at relatively high concentrations. Tobracin® had a higher inhibitory effect against Fusarium spp. than tobramycin alone. Amphotericin B had the highest inhibitory effect against the Fusarium spp, although it had different degrees of activity against each isolate. Our findings showed that fluoroquinolones, aminoglycosides, and BAK had some degree of inhibitory effect against the seven Fusarium isolates, although these agents had considerably lower effect than amphotericin B. However, the inhibitory effects of amphotericin B against the Fusarium spp. varied for the different isolates. Further studies for more effective medications against Fusarium, such as different combinations of antibacterial, biocidal, and antifungal agents are needed.

Rare case of fungal keratitis caused by Corynespora cassiicola.

We describe a 76-year-old male farmer with no diabetes mellitus and no history of ocular trauma from soil or plants who developed a corneal infection from a plant pathogen. The organism was identified as Corynespora cassiicola based on both the morphological characteristics and the sequence of the internal transcribed spacer region of the ribosomal RNA gene. The patient was treated successfully with a combination of topical and systemic voriconazole. This is the first reported case of keratomycosis caused by C. cassiicola.

[Clinical manifestations, treatment and outcome of ocular infections caused by Paecilomyces species].

PURPOSE: To report the predisposing factors, patient background, treatment and outcomes of ocular infections caused by Paecilomyces spp. in Japan. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records and the published literature in Japan on ocular infections caused by microbiologically-proven Paecilomyces spp. Nineteen eyes of 18 patients; 4 eyes of 4 of our patients and 15 eyes of 14 published Japanese patients were studied. RESULTS: Ten men and 8 women (9 OD, 8 OS, 1 OU) were diagnosed with ocular infections caused by Paecilomyces spp. The mean age was 69 years (range 33 to 90 years). The initial diagnosis of ocular infection caused by Paecilomyces spp. was keratitis in 14 eyes and endophthalmitis in 5 eyes. The final diagnosis was keratitis in 2 eyes, keratitis with involvement of the anterior segment of the eye, i.e., hypopyon or corneal rupture, in 12 eyes, and endophthalmitis in 5 eyes. The predisposing factors had a history of ocular surgery, corneal trauma and soft contact lens use. Other factors were diabetes and old age. The infections developed more often in the fall and winter. The identified Paecilomyces spp. had a high sensitivity to micafungin and voriconazole, but low sensitivity to amphotericin B, flucytosine and fluconazole. The prognosis of Paecilomyces spp. ocular infections was very poor, viz., final vision was counting fingers or worse in 60%, ocular perforation in 42%, and eye enucleation in 11%. The percentage of eyes with a final visual acuity worse than counting fingers was 0% in those with keratitis, 50% in those with involvement of the anterior segment, and 100% in those with endophtalmitis (p = 0.0446). Among the antifungal agents, the percentage of cases with final vision of counting fingers or worse was 90% with fluconazole, 80% with itraconazole, 100% with miconazole, and 71% with voriconazole. CONCLUSION: The results show that if the Paecilomyces spp. infection spreads intraocularly, it is difficult to mitigate the clinical damage even with antifungal agents with high sensitivity.