Orbital Cellulitis due to Pseudomonas pseudomalle

Yosanan Yospaiboon, MD*
Julaporn Sangveejit, MD*
*Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand. 40002

Excerpt from the article

INTRODUCTION

Pseudomonas pseudomallel, an aerobic Gram negative bacteria, has been isolated from surface water and soil in certain tropical and subtropical areas of the world. It occasionally causes serious infection in man, known as mehoidosis, which is endemic in Southeast Asia countries including Thailand. Acute, subacute, chronic and loca lized forms may occur. It may affect any organ systems and mimick many clinical entities, hence it has been named the great imitator. The most com mon clinical manifestation is pulmonary involve ment, and may resemble tuberculosis. First case of mehoidosis in Thailand was reported in 1955. So far, there are nearly thousand reported cases of this infection in Thailand, involving almost all organ systems. However, eye involvement due to this organism has not, to our knowledge, been re ported previously. We l'erein report the first case of mehoidosis presented as orbital cellulitis. Problems encountered in the diagnosis and treatment are discussed in detail.


Thai J Ophthalmol 1987; 1(2): 51-54