Identification of Dietzia Species in a Patient with Endophthalmitis following Penetrating Injury with Retained Intraocular Metallic Foreign Body

Abstract EN

To the best of our knowledge, we report the first case of Dietzia species in a patient with endophthalmitis.

A 47-year-old man presented to the ophthalmology department with decreased vision, redness, and minimal pain in his right eye after a foreign body struck his eye following working using a hammer and chisel.

Broad-spectrum polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing targeting 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid-(rRNA-) encoding gene on an undiluted vitreous sample revealed 100% identity with GenBank sequences of Dietzia species including D.

natronolimnaea, D.

dagingensis, and D.

cercidiphylli.

The culture of the vitreous samples demonstrated the growth of Gram-positive cocci and polymorphic rods.

The isolate from the culture was identified as D.

natronolimnaea using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).

The combination of surgical and medical treatment (pars plana vitrectomy and systemic and topical antibiotics) eradicated the infection successfully.