Uveitis in horses refers to the inflammation of the uveal tract, which includes the iris, ciliary body, and choroid. This condition can result from various causes, such as infections, trauma, or immune-mediated processes. Uveitis can lead to symptoms like eye pain, redness, tearing, and sensitivity to light, and it may result in complications such as cataracts or glaucoma if left untreated. Diagnosis typically involves a thorough ophthalmic examination and may include additional tests to determine underlying causes. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of uveitis in equine patients.
Schauer M, Kleinwort KJH, Degroote RL, Wiedemann C, Kremmer E, Hauck SM, Deeg CA.The GTP-binding protein septin 7 is involved in various cellular processes, including cytoskeleton organization, migration and the regulation of cell shape. Septin 7 function in lymphocytes, however, is poorly characterized. Since the intracellular signaling role of septin 7 is dependent on its interaction network, interaction proteomics was applied to attain novel knowledge about septin 7 function in hematopoietic cells. Our previous finding of decreased septin 7 expression in blood-derived lymphocytes in ERU, a spontaneous animal model for autoimmune uveitis in man, extended the role of sept...
Gilger BC.Ocular inflammatory diseases, such as dry eye and uveitis, are common, painful, difficult to treat, and may result in vision loss or blindness. Ocular side effects from the use of antiinflammatory drugs (such as corticosteroids or nonsteroidal antiinflammatories) to treat ocular inflammation have prompted development of more specific and safer medications to treat inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases of the eye. To assess the efficacy and safety of these new therapeutics, appropriate immune-relevant animal models of ocular inflammation are needed. Both induced and naturally-occurring mode...
Divers TJ, Gardner RB, Madigan JE, Witonsky SG, Bertone JJ, Swinebroad EL, Schutzer SE, Johnson AL.Borrelia burgdorferi infection is common in horses living in Lyme endemic areas and the geographic range for exposure is increasing. Morbidity after B. burgdorferi infection in horses is unknown. Documented, naturally occurring syndromes attributed to B. burgdorferi infection in horses include neuroborreliosis, uveitis, and cutaneous pseudolymphoma. Although other clinical signs such as lameness and stiffness are reported in horses, these are often not well documented. Diagnosis of Lyme disease is based on exposure to B. burgdorferi, cytology or histopathology of infected fluid or tissue and a...
Huber L, Giguère S, Berghaus LJ, Hanafi A, Vitosh-Sillman S, Czerwinski SL.Rhodococcus equi is one of the most important causes of disease in foals. Infection is typically characterized by pyogranulomatous pneumonia although extrapulmonary infections occur occasionally. Uveitis and polysynovitis have been reported in foals naturally infected with R. equi and are thought to be the result of an immune-mediated process. However, the pathogenesis of these conditions is poorly understood. The objectives of this study were to document the occurrence of uveitis and polysynovitis after experimental infection with R. equi and to determine if these disorders are the direct res...
Townsend WM.Examination of the lens is critical, particularly when evaluating horses with visual impairment or performing prepurchase examinations. To adequately evaluate the lens, the pupil must be pharmacologically dilated. A cataract is any lens opacity. The size, density, and position of a cataract determine the impact on vision. Cataracts may be congenital or inherited or occur secondary to trauma or equine recurrent uveitis. Surgical removal is the only treatment option for vision impairing cataracts, but careful selection of surgical candidates is critical for successful outcomes.
Paschalis-Trela K, Cywińska A, Trela J, Czopowicz M, Kita J, Witkowski L.Equine ocular diseases pose a medical challenge due to long-lasting and cost-consuming therapies as well as economic issues associated with potential decrease in value of affected horses. The scale of the problem is significant but difficult to precisely define because epidemiological data is limited and lacks consistency in presentation. To date, no retrospective studies specifically investigating Arabian horses have been published. Results: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence of ocular lesions and define the ocular diseases present in Arabian horses from b...
Zakrajsek E.A recently purchased 16-year-old Thoroughbred mare with a history of recurrent colic and low body weight, also had lameness in 3 limbs, pain at the sacro-iliac joint, and increased corneal opacity of the right eye. Response to supportive therapy was poor and euthanasia was elected. A postmortem examination and histopathology confirmed cyathostomiasis within the large colon and cecum and chronic anterior uveitis of the right eye. Une jument Thoroughbred, âgée de 16 ans et récemment achetée, avec une anamnèse de coliques récurrentes et de faible poids corporel souffrait aussi de boiterie ...
McMullen RJ, Fischer BM.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is characterized by recurrent bouts of inflammation interrupted by periods of quiescence that vary in duration. There is little consensus on the clinical manifestations, the underlying causes, or the management. The 3 commonly recognized syndromes of ERU (classic, insidious, and posterior) do not accurately separate the clinical manifestations of disease into distinct categories. An accurate diagnosis and early intervention are essential to minimizing the effects of disease and preserving vision. There are multiple medical and surgical options for controlling ERU...
Grosås S, Østevik L, Revold T, Ottesen N, Ropstad EO.A uveal leiomyosarcoma of a horse is reported. There are few published reports of intraocular tumors in horses. Intraocular tumors challenge animal welfare by causing uveitis, glaucoma, and loss of vision. Knowledge regarding treatment of intraocular tumors with globe preservation is sparse, and further investigations on this topic are required.
Hauck SM, Lepper MF, Hertl M, Sekundo W, Deeg CA.Equine recurrent uveitis is the only spontaneous model for recurrent autoimmune uveitis in humans, where T cells target retinal proteins. Differences between normal and autoaggressive lymphocytes were identified in this study by analyzing peripheral blood derived lymphocytes (PBL) proteomes from the same case with interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein induced uveitis sampled before (Day 0), during (Day 15), and after uveitic attack (Day 23). Relative protein abundances of PBL were investigated in a quantitative, label-free differential proteome analysis in cells that were kept frozen for...
Sandmeyer LS, Bauer BS, Feng CX, Grahn BH.The objectives of this study were to determine the demographics of horses with equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) presenting to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and to describe and compare the prognosis of ERU in the Appaloosa with that in other breeds. Horses diagnosed with ERU by a veterinary ophthalmologist between 2002 and 2015 were included. Eye lesions were classified as mild, moderate, or severe based on clinical manifestations. Breed, age, severity, blindness, and final outcome were evaluated. Thirty-two horses fit the inclusion criteria; 62.5% were Appaloosas. Mean age at presen...
Knickelbein KE, Scherrer NM, Lassaline M.To compare corneal sensitivity and tear production in horses with keratitis to horses with other ocular disease. Methods: Retrospective medical record review was used to identify equine patients presented during a 1-year period for an ocular complaint who had Schirmer Tear Test (STT) or Corneal Touch Threshold (CTT) measured. Variables studied included patient age and sex; affected eye; category of presenting ocular complaint (keratitis vs. other ocular complaint); STT; and CTT. Patients with a complaint of ulcerative keratitis, immune-mediated keratitis, and stromal abscess were categorized i...
Malalana F, Blundell RJ, Pinchbeck GL, Mcgowan CM.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is a common cause of ocular pain and blindness in horses. Leptospira spp. have been commonly implicated in the pathophysiology of ERU in mainland Europe and the USA. No recent studies have been carried out in the UK, but Leptospira is reported not to be a major factor in the aetiology of ERU in the UK. Objective: To establish the prevalence of Leptospira-associated ERU in the UK and to identify the serovars involved in these cases; to compare serum vs. aqueous humour antibody levels in cases and controls in order to confirm the diagnosis of Leptospira-associated ...
Journal of proteomicsJanuary 3, 2017
Volume 154 102-108 doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2016.12.015
Degroote RL, Uhl PB, Amann B, Krackhardt AM, Ueffing M, Hauck SM, Deeg CA.The membrane protein expression repertoire of cells changes in course of activation. In equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), a spontaneous autoimmune disease in horses with relapsing and ultimately blinding inner eye inflammation, CD4+ T lymphocytes are the crucial pathogenic cells activated in the periphery directly prior to an inflammatory episode. In order to find relevant changes in the membrane proteome associated to disease, we sorted CD4+ lymphocytes and compared protein abundance from the generated proteome datasets of both healthy horses and ERU cases. We detected formin like 1, a key play...
Curto E, Messenger KM, Salmon JH, Gilger BC.To determine whether horses with clinically diagnosed Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU) and those with Leptospirosis infection have a specific cytokine profile in their aqueous humor (AH) and serum that differs from horses with uveitis secondary to other ocular inflammatory processes and from horses with normal eyes. Methods: Twenty-five client-owned horses with uveitis that were presented to the North Carolina State University Ophthalmology Service, and four University-owned horses without history or clinical signs of ocular disease. Methods: Samples of AH and serum were obtained from horses wit...
Kleinwort KJ, Amann B, Hauck SM, Feederle R, Sekundo W, Deeg CA.Recently, formation of tertiary lymphoid structures was demonstrated and further characterized in the R161H mouse model of spontaneous autoimmune uveitis. In the horse model of spontaneous recurrent uveitis, intraocular lymphoid follicle formation is highly characteristic, and found in all stages and scores of disease, but in depth analyses of immunologic features of these structures are lacking to date. Paraffin-embedded eye sections of cases with equine spontaneous recurrent uveitis (ERU) were characterized with immunohistochemistry to gain insight into the distribution, localization, and si...
Monk CS, Craft WF, Abbott JR, Farina LL, Reuss SM, Czerwinski SL, Brooks DE, Plummer CE.The objective of this paper is to describe clinical behavior, histopathologic features, and immunohistochemical staining of two-related horses with intraocular teratoid medulloepithelioma. Two-related Quarter Horses with similar intraocular masses presented to the UF-CVM Comparative Ophthalmology Service for evaluation and treatment. The first horse, a 3-year-old gelding, had glaucoma and a cyst-like mass in the anterior chamber. Enucleation was performed. Histopathology revealed a teratoid medulloepithelioma. The tumor was considered to be completely excised. Fifteen months later, the gelding...
Dorrego-Keiter E, Tóth J, Dikker L, Sielhorst J, Schusser GF.In the ongoing discussion regarding the aetiopathogenesis of equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) it was the aim of the present study to elucidate the relationship of leptospira infection and ERU. In a population of 225 horses leptospira were examined in vitreous humor by culture and leptospira antibody were detected in vitreous humor and serum samples. Preoperative serum samples were collected from 221/225 ERU patients of different age, gender and breed. Undiluted vitreous humor was aseptically taken from 198/225 patients that underwent pars plana vitrectomy at the beginning of surgery and from 27/...
Simeonova GP, Krastev SZ, Simeonov RS.The pathogenic mechanism of equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is still poorly defined and many variations between experimental animal models and spontaneous disease exist. Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate if Th17 cell-mediated response plays role in the pathogenesis of the used experimental model in horses and to reveal its pathological findings. Methods: Experimental uveitis was induced in 6 healthy horses. The concentrations of retinal autoantigen CRALBP and IL-17 were measured using ELISA in aqueous humor and vitreous body of the 12 inflamed eyes as well as in 12 control non-...
Malalana F.Ocular abnormalities are a common finding in aged horses. Although these seldom cause overt visual deficits detected by their owners, they can be a source of chronic or acute discomfort so early detection, and treatment when available, is essential. Some of these abnormalities are specific to old horses, whereas others are a result of ongoing disease or inflammation that started earlier in life but that becomes more evident when the damage sustained to the eye is advanced. If vision is significantly affected, consideration of human safety and animal welfare is paramount.
Deeg CA, Amann B, Lutz K, Hirmer S, Lutterberg K, Kremmer E, Hauck SM.Müller glial cells are important regulators of physiological function of retina. In a model disease of retinal inflammation and spontaneous recurrent uveitis in horses (ERU), we could show that retinal Müller glial cells significantly change potassium and water channel protein expression during autoimmune pathogenesis. The most significantly changed channel protein in neuroinflammatory ERU was aquaporin 11 (AQP11). Aquaporins (AQP, 13 members) are important regulators of water and small solute transport through membranes. AQP11 is an unorthodox member of this family and was assigned to a thi...
Cichocki BM, Myrna KE, Moore PA.To describe and evaluate a modified penetrating keratoplasty technique utilizing ACell® for management of equine deep stromal or full-thickness corneal stromal abscesses (SA). Methods: Cases presenting to the University of Georgia Ophthalmology service for surgical management of SA necessitating penetrating keratoplasty (PK) were included in the study population. Surgery entailed the use of an ACell® disk sutured within the deep level of a stepped full-thickness corneal incision with an overlying conjunctival pedicle flap placed in the superficial step incision. Patients were evaluated for s...
Berryhill EH, Thomasy SM, Kass PH, Reilly CM, Good KL, Hollingsworth SR, Maggs DJ, Magdesian KG, Pusterla N.To compare signalment, presentation, treatment, and outcome in horses diagnosed with corneal degeneration (CD) or calcific band keratopathy (CBK) at a referral hospital. Methods: Sixty-nine horses (87 eyes) diagnosed with either CD or CBK. Methods: Medical records of horses diagnosed with CD or CBK at the University of California-Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (UCD-VMTH) between 2000 and 2013 were reviewed. Signalment, concurrent ophthalmic diagnoses, previous therapies, diagnostic tests, systemic diagnoses, treatment, follow-up, and outcomes were compared between horses diagnosed ...
Witkowski L, Cywinska A, Paschalis-Trela K, Crisman M, Kita J.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) has various etiologies, with Leptospira infection and genetic predisposition being the leading risk factors. Regardless of etiology, expression of ocular proteins associated with maintenance of the blood-ocular barrier is impaired in ERU. The recurring-remitting cycle of ERU repeatedly disrupts the blood-ocular barrier, allowing the previously immune-privileged ocular environment to become the site of a progressive local autoimmune pathology that ultimately results in tissue destruction and vision loss. The immune-mediated process involves humoral and cellular me...
Sano Y, Matsuda K, Okamoto M, Takehana K, Hirayama K, Taniyama H.Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in the uveal tract participate in ocular immunity including immune homeostasis and the pathogenesis of uveitis. In horses, although uveitis is the most common ocular disorder, little is known about ocular immunity, such as the distribution of APCs. In this study, we investigated the distribution of CD163-positive and MHC II-positive cells in the normal equine uveal tract using an immunofluorescence technique. Eleven eyes from 10 Thoroughbred horses aged 1 to 24 years old were used. Indirect immunofluorescence was performed using the primary antibodies CD163, MHC...
Gerding JC, Gilger BC.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is a leading cause of vision loss in horses. Objective: To assess the prognosis and impact of ERU on affected horses and their owners by evaluating the signalment, treatment and outcome (including the loss of use, vision assessment and economic loss). Methods: Retrospective impact study. Methods: Medical records of horses presenting to the North Carolina State University Veterinary Health Complex (NCSU-VHC) with ERU between 1999 and 2014 were reviewed. Signalment, clinical signs, ophthalmic examination findings, treatments and outcomes were evaluated. Owner quest...
Malalana F, Stylianides A, McGowan C.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is a spontaneous disease characterised by repeated episodes of intraocular inflammation. The epidemiology of ERU has not been fully elucidated, but the condition appears to be much more common in horses than is recurrent uveitis in humans, especially in certain breeds and geographical regions. Both humans and horses show a similarly altered immune response and a marked autoimmune response as the primary disease pathophysiology. However, an inciting cause is not always clear. Potential inciting factors in horses include microbial agents such as Leptospira spp. Mic...
Rushton JO, Tichy A, Nell B.To date assessment of changes in ocular temperature, as a hallmark of uveitis in horses has not been determined. Therefore the aim of the current study was to determine whether ocular temperature is increased in acute uveitic eyes compared with non-uveitic eyes, and to compare an affordable thermometry device with a thermography device. Methods: Ocular temperatures of both eyes of five horses with acute unilateral uveitis and 10 normal horses were measured using thermometry and thermography. Presence and absence of acute uveitis were diagnosed through a complete ophthalmological examination. A...
Fingerhut L, Yücel L, Strutzberg-Minder K, von Köckritz-Blickwede M, Ohnesorge B, de Buhr N.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is a common ocular disease of horses and described as a model for human autoimmune uveitis. This immune-mediated, inflammatory condition progressively destroys the eye, ultimately leading to blindness. Genetic and autoimmune factors, next to infections with Leptospira, are discussed as key factors in the pathogenesis. Furthermore, a release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) by activated neutrophils is involved. NETs are composed of decondensed chromatin and proteins that can immobilize invading pathogens. However, if NETs accumulate, they can contribute to...
Dorrego-Keiter E, Tóth J, Dikker L, Sielhorst J, Schusser GF.In the ongoing discussion regarding the aetiopathogenesis of equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) it was the aim of the present study to elucidate the relationship of leptospira infection and ERU. In a population of 225 horses leptospira were examined in vitreous humor by culture and leptospira antibody were detected in vitreous humor and serum samples. Preoperative serum samples were collected from 221/225 ERU patients of different age, gender and breed. Undiluted vitreous humor was aseptically taken from 198/225 patients that underwent pars plana vitrectomy at the beginning of surgery and from 27/...
Kalsow CM, Dwyer AE.Equine uveitis is a spontaneous disorder of horses that can serve as a model for the study of human uveitis. Although the initial presentation is that of an anterior uveitis, retinal involvement has been noted in some cases. We report here the immunohistopathology of retinas from horses with uveitis. Methods: Sections of eyes recovered from horses with naturally occurring uveitis and from Shetland ponies with experimental leptospira-induced uveitis were stained by hematoxylin and eosin for histopathological evaluation. Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate retinas for MHC Class II antigen ...
Little PB, Thorsen J, Moore W, Weninger N.Powassan virus strain M794, a member of the Flavivirus genus known to infect man and animals in Canada, was inoculated intracerebrally into rabbits and horses. No clinical signs were observed in rabbits, but widespread encephalitis resulted, characterized by lymphoid perivascular cuffing, lymphocytic meningitis, and lymphocytic choroiditis. In horses, eight days after inoculation, prominent neurological signs occurred and lesions were those of non-suppurative encephalomyelitis, neuronal necrosis, and focal parenchymal necrosis. The virus could not be reisolated from the rabbit or horse brains....
Murphy J, Young S.Sudden unilateral blindness occurred in a 7-year-old grey gelding Quarterhorse. Ophthalmoscopy revealed a pigmented mass arising from the nasal ciliary body of the right eye and extending around the posterior surface of the lens, and there were pigmented particles in the vitreous. Examination of the enucleated globe showed a circumscribed, black, dense and symmetrically ovoid mass with sessile attachment to the nasal ciliary region and extension to posterior lens capsule, vitreous and along the vitreal face of the detached retina to the optic papilla. The mass was composed of heavily pigmented...
Crabtree E, Uribe K, Smith SM, Roberts D, Salmon JH, Bower JJ, Song L, Bastola P, Hirsch ML, Gilger BC.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is a spontaneous, painful, and vision threatening disease affecting up to 25% of equine populations worldwide. Current treatments of ERU are non-specific and have many side effects which limits them to short-term use. In order to develop an effective therapy for ERU, we investigated the use of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy, exploiting a natural immune tolerance mechanism induced by equine interleukin-10 (Equine-IL10). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of a single intravitreal (IVT) dose of AAV8-Equine-IL10 gene therapy...
Wiedemann C, Amann B, Degroote RL, Witte T, Deeg CA.The participating signals and structures that enable primary immune cells migrating within dense tissues are not completely revealed until now. Especially in autoimmune diseases, mostly unknown mechanisms facilitate autoreactive immune cells to migrate to endogenous tissues, infiltrating and harming organ-specific structures. In order to gain deeper insights into the migratory behavior of primary autoreactive immune cells, we examined peripheral blood-derived lymphocytes (PBLs) of horses with equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), a spontaneous animal model for autoimmune uveitis in humans. In this s...
Germann SE, Richter M, Schwarzwald CC, Wimmershoff J, Spiess BM.A 6-year-old thoroughbred gelding was presented with a history of blepharospasm and opacity in the OS of 1 weeks' duration. Ophthalmic examination findings were consistent with acute uveitis in the OS, and traditional treatment was initiated with systemic antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, topical mydriatics, and corticosteroids. During the total treatment period of 4 weeks response to treatment was weak and the horse developed further problems such as cellulitis of the right hind limb with fever and eventually weight loss and dependent edema. Blood work was indicative of liver disease. ...
Zipplies JK, Hauck SM, Schoeffmann S, Amann B, van der Meijden CH, Stangassinger M, Ueffing M, Deeg CA.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is an incurable disease affecting the inner eye that leads to blindness, through activated T cells that pass the blood-retinal barrier and destroy the retina. Serum markers are a desirable choice for monitoring development of disease, as serum is easy accessible and the markers could serve to predict the beginning of disease or an imminent relapse. Methods: In this study, serum proteomes (depleted of high-abundance serum proteins) of horses with ERU and healthy controls were compared with the 2-D DIGE (two-dimensional gel electrophoresis) technique to identify di...
Monk CS, Craft WF, Abbott JR, Farina LL, Reuss SM, Czerwinski SL, Brooks DE, Plummer CE.The objective of this paper is to describe clinical behavior, histopathologic features, and immunohistochemical staining of two-related horses with intraocular teratoid medulloepithelioma. Two-related Quarter Horses with similar intraocular masses presented to the UF-CVM Comparative Ophthalmology Service for evaluation and treatment. The first horse, a 3-year-old gelding, had glaucoma and a cyst-like mass in the anterior chamber. Enucleation was performed. Histopathology revealed a teratoid medulloepithelioma. The tumor was considered to be completely excised. Fifteen months later, the gelding...
Pinto NI, McMullen RJ, Linder KE, Cullen JM, Gilger BC.To describe the clinical, histopathologic and immunohistochemical characteristics of an equine ocular inflammatory disease resulting in anterior uveitis and corneal endothelial inflammation associated with iris pigment dispersion and retrocorneal fibrous membrane (RFM) formation. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Sixteen horses with evidence of pigmented keratic precipitates (KPs), corneal edema, and/or iris depigmentation. Information collected from the medical records included signalment, clinical signs, prereferral treatment duration and response to therapy, ophthalmic examination find...
Pearce JW, Galle LE, Kleiboeker SB, Turk JR, Schommer SK, Dubielizig RR, Mitchell WJ, Moore CP, Giuliano EA.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is the most frequent cause of blindness in horses worldwide. Leptospira has been implicated as an etiologic agent in some cases of ERU and has been detected in fresh ocular tissues of affected horses. The objective of this study was to determine the presence of Leptospira antigen and DNA in fixed equine ocular tissues affected with end-stage ERU. Sections of eyes from 30 horses were obtained. Controls included 1) 10 normal equine eyes and 2) 10 equine eyes with a nonrecurrent form of uveitis. The experimental group consisted of 10 eyes diagnosed with ERU based on...
Brooks DE.This article discusses the diagnosis and medical treatment of stromal keratomalacia or "melting ulcers," stromal abscesses, eosinophilic keratitis (EK), and calcific band keratopathy. These are common and important inflammatory keratopathies of the equine corneal stroma. Keratomalacia and stromal abscesses are associated with infection, leukocytic invasion of the stroma, and loss of tissue and tear film proteinase homeostasis. Eosinophils infiltrate the stroma in response to unknown stimuli in EK. Calcium is deposited in the stroma and epithelium secondary to chronic equine recurrent uveitis i...
Sauvage AC, Monclin SJ, Elansary M, Hansen P, Grauwels MF.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) has been associated with Leptospira spp. infection. No information exists concerning the prevalence of Leptospira-associated ERU in Belgium and about the sensitivity of detection of Leptospira in different ocular media. Objective: To establish the prevalence of intraocular Leptospira spp. in ERU-affected and healthy eyes of horses examined at the Equine Clinic of the University of Liège by real-time PCR and to compare the results of the aqueous and vitreous humour of the same eye. Methods: Cross-sectional. Methods: Sixty-six eyes from 59 client-owned horses with...
Tarancón I, Leiva M, Jose-Cunilleras E, Ríos J, Peña T.To describe ocular findings associated with Rhodococcus equi bronchopneumonia in foals, and to determine whether severity of the ocular lesions is related with outcome. Methods: Foals diagnosed with R equi infection at the VTH-UAB from January 2002 to December 2017. Methods: Rhodococcus equi infection was diagnosed by means of clinical signs, radiographic/ultrasonographic findings, and/or positive culture. In all the foals, a complete ophthalmic examination by a boarded ophthalmologist was performed and ocular signs were recorded and graded (0-4). Results: Thirty-nine foals were included in t...
Lucchesi PM, Parma AE.Horses infected with Leptospira interrogans present several clinical disorders, one of them being recurrent uveitis. An antigenic relationship between this bacterium and equine cornea has been described in previous studies. With the aim to make progress on defining the molecular basis and pathogenesis of equine recurrent uveitis, here we describe the cloning of one DNA fragment from a Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona genomic lambda gt11 library. Although there are references of transcription of leptospiral genes in E. coli from their own leptospiral promoters, in this recombinant construc...
Divers TJ, Byars TD, Shin SJ.Renal failure associated with infection of Leptospira interrogans was detected in a horse. Fever, leukocytosis, pyuria, isosthenuria, and azotemia were suggestive of an inflammatory urinary tract disease. Despite persistent pyuria, no bacteria were found during routine microscopic examinations or bacteriologic culturing of urine. A fluorescent antibody examination of the urine was positive for L interrogans. Serologic testing during a 6-month period, supported an acute infection with L interrogans serovar pomona. Treatment with intravenously administered fluids and antimicrobials resulted in c...
Bellone RR.Horses perform in a variety of disciplines that are visually demanding, and any disease impacting the eye has the potential to threaten vision and thus the utility of the horse. Advances in equine genetics have enabled the understanding of some inherited ocular disorders and ocular manifestations and are enabling cross-species comparisons. Genetic testing for multiple congenital ocular anomalies, congenital stationary night blindness, equine recurrent uveitis, and squamous cell carcinoma can identify horses with or at risk for disease and thus can assist in clinical management and breeding dec...
Gilger BC, Michau TM, Salmon JH.The purpose of this study is to describe clinical and histologic findings, treatment, and outcome of horses with suspected immune-mediated keratitis (IMMK). Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: Nineteen horses that presented to NCSU-VTH from 1998 to 2004 with IMMK. Procedures Information retrieved from the medical records included signalment, duration of clinical signs, therapy prior to initial examination, ophthalmic abnormalities, diagnostics performed, therapy instituted, and long-term vision. Results: Nineteen horses (22 eyes) were diagnosed with IMMK. Three distinct clinical groups were...
Divers TJ, Irby NL, Mohammed HO, Schwark WS.Information on antibiotic concentrations in the equine eye following systemic therapy is limited. Reports that Leptospira spp. are frequently present in the eyes of horses with recurrent uveitis, emphasises a need for studies on ocular concentrations of specific antibiotics. Objective: 1) Enrofloxacin, administered i.v. at 7.5 mg/kg bwt q. 24 h, results in aqueous humour concentrations greater than the reported minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for Leptospira pomona. 2) Aqueous humour paracentesis sufficiently disrupts the blood-aqueous humour barrier (BAB) to cause an increase in aqueous...
Rebhun WC, Del Piero F.To determine the most common ocular lesions in horses with lymphosarcoma. Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 79 horses histologically confirmed to have lymphosarcoma. Methods: Ophthalmic examinations were performed by a single individual. Results: 21 of 79 horses had lesions involving the eye or ocular adnexa. Infiltration of the palpebral conjunctiva and eyelids was the most common lesion (n = 11). Other lesions included uveitis (n = 4), corneoscleral masses (2), third eyelid masses (2), and diffuse retrobulbar infiltrates (2). Conclusions: In horses with lymphosarcoma, ocular lesions may...
Gilger BC, Wilkie DA, Davidson MG, Allen JB.To evaluate the use of an intravitreal sustained-release cyclosporine (CsA) delivery device for treatment of horses with naturally occurring recurrent uveitis. Methods: 16 horses with recurrent uveitis. Methods: Horses with frequent recurrent episodes of uveitis or with disease that was progressing despite appropriate medication were selected for this study. Additional inclusion criteria included adequate retinal function as determined by use of electroretinography, lack of severe cataract formation, and no vision-threatening ocular complications (eg, retinal detachment, severe retinal degener...
Hoffmann ALC, Hauck SM, Deeg CA, Degroote RL.In the pathophysiology of autoimmune-mediated uveitis, granulocytes have emerged as possible disease mediators and were shown to be pre-activated in equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), a spontaneous disease model. We therefore used granulocytes from ERU horses to identify early molecular mechanisms involved in this dysregulated innate immune response. Primary granulocytes from healthy and ERU horses were stimulated with IL8, and cellular response was analyzed with differential proteomics, which revealed significant differences in protein abundance of 170 proteins in ERU. Subsequent ingenuity pathw...
Wollanke B, Gerhards H, Brem S, Kopp H, Meyer P.Between February 1993 and July 1997, 150 horses suffering from recurrent uveitis were subjected to parsplana vitrectomy. In these horses, antibody titers to Leptospira serovars were determined in serum samples and in samples from diluted vitreous collected during vitrectomy. Although the vitreous samples were diluted with 250 ml of balanced salt solution, in 86 of the 150 vitreous samples (= 57%) the antibody titers were higher than in the serum samples. Additionally, serum samples from 77 horses suffering from ERU, but which were not subjected to vitrectomy, and serum samples from 97 horses w...
Niedermaier G, Wollanke B, Hoffmann R, Brem S, Gerhards H.Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is caused by persistent intraocular leptospira, which appear to use the vitreous body as a refuge. The detection of leptospira in the vitreous body of horses with spontaneous ERU by histological methods has not yet been described. Thirty eight vitreous body samples from 36 horses with ERU (collected during vitrectomy), and 10 vitreous body samples obtained from 5 horses without ocular disease (control group) were examined by transmission electron microscopy. Prior to sample collection, 2 ml of a leptospira culture suspension were injected into the vitreous body o...
Launois T, González Hilarión LM, Barbe F, Leurquin C, Bihin B, Hontoir F, Dugdale A, Vandeweerd JM.We report a retrospective evaluation of intravitreal gentamicin (6 mg in 0.3 mL solution) injection in 71 horses with equine recurrent uveitis between 2010 and 2016. Aqueous flare and hyalitis were scored at the baseline in all horses, then at 15, 30, 60, 90, 180, 365, and 730 in 37, 46, 30, 25, 22, 18, and 11 horses, respectively. Forty-two animals had a global score of inflammation (sum of scores for aqueous flare and hyalitis) of zero at the last examination (number of re-examinations per horse ranged from 1 to 5). Among the 29 remaining horses, four were not reassessed after the interven...
Willis AM, Diehl KA, Hoshaw-Woodard S, Kobayashi I, Vitucci MP, Schmall LM.To determine the effect of 0.005% latanoprost solution on intraocular pressure (IOP) of eyes of clinically normal horses and establish the frequency of adverse effects of drug administration. Methods: 20 adult clinically normal horses. Methods: IOP was recorded (7, 9, and 11 AM; 3, 5, and 7 PM) on days 1 and 2 (baseline), days 3 to 7 (treatment), and days 8 to 9 (follow-up). Latanoprost was administered to 1 randomly assigned eye of each horse every 24 hours during the treatment period, following the 7 AM IOP recording. Pupil size and the presence or absence of conjunctival hyperemia, epiphora...
