Skip to main content
Log in

Acute anterior uveitis and conjunctivitis following yersinia infection in children

  • Published:
International Ophthalmology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We studied characteristics of ocular inflammation associated with yersinia infection in six children, three boys and three girls, ranging in age between 4 and 14 years. Four patients developed acute anterior uveitis with aqueous flare and cells, small keratic precipitates, cells in the vitreous, and occasionally with fibrinous exudates, posterior synechiae and macular edema. The uveitis was unilateral in two patients and bilateral in two. In three 10- to 14-year-old patients the uveitis resolved during corticosteroid treatment in 3 to 8 (mean 6) weeks. In a 4-year-old girl with positive antinuclear antibody titers bilateral uveitis lasted for 17 weeks. Two uveitis patients had recurrent episodes. Two patients had mucopurulent bilateral mild conjunctivitis which resolved in 3 to 5 days. All patients had symptoms of reactive arthritis and one had sacroiliitis. All tested patients were HLA-B27 positive. Our results indicate that in HLA-B27 positive children, especially after the age of 10 years, yersinia infection may occasionally trigger reactive iritis or conjunctivitis which often occur together with other HLA-B27 associated rheumatic diseases.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Brewerton DA, Caffrey M, Nicholls A, Walters D & James DCO: Acute anterior uveitis and HL-A27. Lancet 2: 994–996, 1973

    Google Scholar 

  2. Kanski JJ: Anterior uveitis in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Arch Ophthalmol 95: 1794–1797, 1977

    Google Scholar 

  3. Kohl S, Jacobson JA, Nahmias A: Yersinia enterocolitica infections in children. J Pediatr 89: 77–79, 1976

    Google Scholar 

  4. Lang GK, Knapp W, Völcker HE: Yersinia-Uveitis. Klin Mbl Augenheilk 182: 156–158, 1983

    Google Scholar 

  5. Leino R, Mäkelä A-L, Tiilikainen A, Toivanen A: Yersinia arthritis in children. Scand J Rheumatol 9: 245–249, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  6. Mäki M, Vesikari I, Rantala I, Grönroos P: Yersiniosis in children. Arch Dis Childhood 55: 861–865, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  7. Oksala A: Ätiologie der Uveitis in Mittel-Finnland. Doc Ophthalmol 14: 399–411, 1960

    Google Scholar 

  8. Rodriquez WJ, Controni G, Cohen GJ, Florence B, Khan WN & Ross S. Yersinia enterocolitica enteritis in children. JAMA 242: 1978–1980, 1979

    Google Scholar 

  9. Saari KM, Laitinen O, Leirisalo M, Saari R. Ocular inflammation associated with yersinia infection. Am J Ophthalmol 89: 84–95, 1980

    Google Scholar 

  10. Saari M, Miettinen R, Alanko H. Uveitis: Report of a 10-year survey in Northern Finland. Can J Ophthalmol 10: 356–360, 1975

    Google Scholar 

  11. Saari M, Miettinen R, Tiilikainen A, Herva E, Lahti R. Acute anterior uveitis and HLA-B27 in families. Can J Ophthalmol 12: 4–11, 1977

    Google Scholar 

  12. Saari KM, Solja J, Häkli J, Seppänen S, Tiilikainen A, Koskimies S, Eriksson A, Frants R. Genetic background of acute anterior uveitis. Am J Ophthalmol 91: 711–720, 1981

    Google Scholar 

  13. Saari M, Vuorre I, Kaila J, Lahti R. Family studies of ocular manifestations in arthritis. Can J Ophthalmol 13: 144–151, (1978)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Schlaegel TF Jr, Weber JC. The sedimentation rate in endogenous uveitis. Arch Ophthalmol 73: 657–661, 1965

    Google Scholar 

  15. Smiley WK. The eye in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Trans Ophthalmol Soc UK 94: 817–829, 1974

    Google Scholar 

  16. Toivanen P, Toivanen A, Olkkonen L, Aantaa S. Hospital outbreak of Yersinia enterocolitica infection. Lancet 1: 801–803, 1973

    Google Scholar 

  17. Turunen O, Lundqvist C, Julin M, Holmlund G, Tiilikainen A, de la Chapelle A. Stimulatory and cytotoxic activity on human adult and fetal lymphocytes by heterologous antihuman fetal lymphocyte sera. Transplantation 27: 304–308, 1979

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tampere, PO Box 607, SF-33101 Tampere, Finland

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Saari, K.M., Mäki, M., Päivönsalo, T. et al. Acute anterior uveitis and conjunctivitis following yersinia infection in children. Int Ophthalmol 9, 237–241 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00137536

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00137536

Keywords

Navigation