A rare case of Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens infection in the eye: a case report

PURPOSE: To report a rare case of microbial keratitis caused by Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens (C. flaccumfaciens) infection. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 24-year-old male presented with pain and redness of the eye following ocular exposure to banana bell sap. He was diagnosed with infectious keratitis and underwent corneal scraping. Subsequent culture and molecular analysis identified the causative organism as C. flaccumfaciens. Keratitis clinically resolved following several weeks of topical therapy with ciprofloxacin 0.3%. CONCLUSION: Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens is a rare and likely underdiagnosed cause of bacterial keratitis. This report provides further evidence of its pathogenic role in not only plants, but also the human cornea, especially in the tropics.