Bacterial endophthalmitis caused by an intraocular cilium in a patient under treatment with infliximab

BACKGROUND: We report a case of bacterial endophthalmitis caused by an intraocular cilium in a patient without any history of trauma or ocular surgery. FINDINGS: A 32-year-old Caucasian male showed symptoms of orbital myositis and scleritis, with no intraocular inflammation in the right eye. The patient had been treated with infliximab for Crohn’s disease. Three weeks after initiation of oral prednisolone therapy, he developed bacterial endophthalmitis. During pars plana vitrectomy, a cilium in the massive vitreous opacity was found. A focal scleral necrosis was detected just outside where the cilium was intraoperatively observed. Vitreous culture showed the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. CONCLUSIONS: The intraocular cilium seemed to be the aetiology of the endophthalmitis in this case, which suggests that anti-tumour necrosis factor-α therapy may play a role in the migration of cilia into the globe and the occurrence of endophthalmitis.