Retinitis

Excerpt

Retinitis is an inflammation of the retina, which can cause permanent vision loss. A number of microbes can cause retinitis, including Toxoplasma, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes zoster, Herpes simplex, and Candida. Retinitis may also be seen in cat-scratch disease from Bartonella species, lyme disease from Borrelia burgdorferi, syphilis caused by Treponema pallidum, or tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium species. These pathogens can affect patients differently depending on characteristics like age, location, and immune status. Important non-infectious causes like Behcet disease also can cause retinitis as its primary manifestation in the eye. Retinitis may present alone or with varying choroidal involvement as retinochoroiditis or chorioretinitis, depending upon the site of primary involvement. The more common causes of retinitis will be discussed in detail.