Orbital cellulitis caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum

PURPOSE: To report the case of a previously healthy young female who develo ped orbital cellulitis caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum. We are unaware of previous reports of this condition caused by the same anaerobic, gram-ne gative, nonsporeforming bacterium and could find no reference to it in a co mputer search using MEDLINE. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: In the case of orbital cellulitis presented here, the patient requ ired 3 sinus debridement operations and 30 days of intravenous antibiotics. Despite this, her vision did not fully recover. CONCLUSION: F. necrophorum is capable of causing severe orbital disease tha t requires aggressive and prompt treatment to preserve sight. (Am J Ophthal mol 2001; 131:280-281. (C) 2001 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserve d).