Actinomyces naeslundii: A rare cause of chronic purulent canaliculitis

Irimpan Lazar FRANCIS¹, Mohan RAMALINGAM ¹, Nadir Ali Mohamed ALI ¹, Nayan JOSHI ¹, Terrence Rohan CHINNIAH ², Kavitha PRABHU ², Pemasari Upali TELISINGHE ³

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, ² Department of Microbiology, ³ Department of Pathology, RIPAS Hospital, Brunei Darussalam

ABSTRACT

Chronic canaliculitis is an uncommon disease with a protracted course. Its management is prolonged and difficult. An elderly lady was diagnosed to have left lower chronic purulent canaliculitis. Conservative treatment alone did not effect a complete cure. Canaliculotomy with removal of sulphur granules and canalicular curettage also had to be performed to achieve a permanent cure.  Unlike many cases of canaliculitis, this patient presented numerous complications confined to the canaliculus. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Actinomyces naeslundii (A. naeslundii) causing chronic purulent canaliculitis and associated complications. A. naeslundii canaliculitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic conjunctivitis with epiphora.

Keywords: Actinomyces naeslundii, canaliculotomy, canaliculitis, dacryocystitis

Correspondence author: Irimpan Lazar FRANCIS, Department of Ophthalmology, RIPAS Hospital, Bandar Seri Begawan, BA1710, Brunei Darussalam.

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Brunei Int Med J. 2013; 9 (2): 118-121