Case report: North Carolina macular dystrophy misdiagnosed as congenital ocular toxoplasmosis

PURPOSE: This report discusses a case of North Carolina macular dystrophy (NCMD) in a 7-year-old boy initially diagnosed as congenital toxoplasmosis. Genetic testing was performed on the child and his family after the suspicion of NCMD was raised by the treating ophthalmologist. This case report highlights the similarities between congenital toxoplasmosis and NCMD. METHODS: DNA was collected from the family with consent and underwent comparative genomic hybridization and Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Genetic testing identified a previously reported single base substitution (chromosome 6: 99,593,111 (G>C) NC_000006.11(GRCh38):g.100040987G>C), which confirms a diagnosis of NCMD. CONCLUSIONS: We believe this is the first confirmed case of NCMD in Australia. This case highlights the similarities between NCMD and more commonly recognized conditions, such as ocular toxoplasmosis, and raises the question; How many other cases are misdiagnosed as ocular toxoplasmosis?