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Failure of systemic oral doxycycline in preventing ocular toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis in French military personnel
  1. Sami Saad1,
  2. M Delbarre1,
  3. R Saad2,
  4. M Berguiga1,
  5. D Benisty1,
  6. M Marechal1,
  7. T Adam1 and
  8. F Froussart1
  1. 1 Department of Ophthalmology, Hopital d’Instruction des Armees Percy, Clamart, Île-de-France, France
  2. 2 Department of Ophthalmology, Hopital Bicetre, Le Kremlin-Bicetre, Île-de-France, France
  1. Correspondence to Dr Sami Saad, Department of Ophthalmology, Hopital d’Instruction des Armees Percy, Clamart, Île-de-France 92141, France; samiarsaad{at}gmail.com

Abstract

This paper describes two cases of toxoplasmic chorioretinitis presenting in two French soldiers who had been receiving oral doxycycline for malaria prophylaxis. This is despite the proven effectiveness of oral doxycycline in treating Toxoplasma gondii, the most common cause of this infection. The lack of effectiveness of oral doxycycline in these two cases most likely reflected that the ocular concentration of 100 mg daily doxycycline is too low to treat or prevent Toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis (TC). Clinicians should therefore be aware that soldiers taking prophylactic oral doxycycline are still at risk of developing ocular TC with potentially sight-threatening consequences if not treated adequately.

  • ophthalmology
  • medical ophthalmology
  • medical retina
  • vItreoretinal
  • tropical medicine
  • uveitis

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Footnotes

  • Contributors SS wrote the article. FF, MD and RS critically reviewed the article. MB, MM, DB and TA collected data and provided and cared for study patients.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.