Clinical Characteristics of 17 Patients with Moraxella Keratitis.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively investigate the clinical characteristics of Moraxella keratitis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 17 patients with Moraxella keratitis. Onset age, sex, predisposing factors, initial clinical presentations, culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and management and outcome of medical treatment were investigated.

RESULT: Moraxella keratitis was more common in patients older than 40 years of age, and its representative initial presentation was a round-shaped ulcer with endothelial plaque (70.6%) and hypopyon (58.8%). Local predisposing factors were significantly more frequent than systemic predisposing factors (P < 0.005). Isolated strains of Moraxella (M. catarrhalis, M. osloensis, and other Moraxella spp.) were sensitive to all antibiotics tested except ampicillin. The common disease contraction period was <2 weeks.

CONCLUSION: Moraxella keratitis (including the first report of M. osloensis keratitis) had local predisposing factors, high sensitivity to antibiotics, and a tendency to recover within 2 weeks.