Chronic canaliculitis with canaliculoliths due to Providencia stuartii infection

ABSTRACT

Canaliculitis, inflammation of the lacrimal canaliculi, can be caused by numerous pathogens, most commonly bacteria from the genera Actinomyces, Streptococcus, and Staphylococcus. Primary canaliculitis often requires surgical canaliculolith removal and appropriate antibiotic coverage. The authors report a case of a 77-year-old woman with a history of punctal plugs who presented with chronic canaliculitis with canaliculoliths that grew Providencia stuartii. P. stuartii has not previously been described as a cause of primary canaliculitis. This case highlights a new organism that causes canaliculitis with canaliculoliths and stresses the importance of speciation and antibiotic sensitivity testing following canaliculotomy and curettage. P. stuartii should be considered in the differential for bacterial canaliculitis with canaliculoliths, especially in patients with persistent symptoms on topical antibiotic therapy without canaliculotomy.

KEYWORDS:

• Antibiotic resistance
• canaliculitis
• canaliculolith
• infection
• microbiology

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr Lars F. Westblade for his assistance with the microbiology evaluation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by an Unrestricted Grant from the Research to Prevent Blindness.