Moraxella nonliquefaciens as an unusual ocular pathogen: Case report of keratitis and literature review

Moraxella nonliquefaciens is part of the normal respiratory flora and rarely causes keratitis. We report a rare case of M. nonliquefaciens keratitis in a 45-year-old man with a history of penetrating keratoplasty and chronic topical corticosteroid use. He presented with ocular pain, redness and a central-paracentral corneal ulcer with hypopyon. Corneal culture grew M. nonliquefaciens, identified through matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and susceptibility-guided treatment with intravenous ceftriaxone plus topical ceftazidime and gentamicin was initiated. This case highlights the potential of M. nonliquefaciens to cause severe keratitis and the importance of early identification and targeted therapy.