Equine subepithelial keratomycosis.

This research article is an analysis of clinical findings related to a condition in horses known as subepithelial keratomycosis, studying the characteristics and potential treatment outcomes of this understudied condition.

Research Methods

The research was conducted retrospectively by going through medical records of horses that had developed subepithelial keratomycosis (SEK) at the University of Florida Veterinary Medical Center from 2007 to 2011. The information extracted from these records included:

• The background of the horses like breed and gender (known as signalment).
• Clinical descriptions of ocular lesions, conditions affecting the horse’s eyes.
• Methods used for diagnosis.
• The results of therapeutic treatment.

Findings

The investigation identified 21 horses from different breeds with SEK. All the identified horses presented with multifocal punctate and/or geographic patterns of subepithelial opacification in their eyes. Some variability was observed with 16 cases showing intermittent phases of weak fluorescein and/or rose Bengal dye. All cases lacked clinical signs of iridocyclitis, an inflammation of the iris and ciliary body.
The presence of fungi was confirmed cytologically in ten cases. Candida and Aspergillus were also detected in one and three eyes respectively through culture methods.

Therapeutic Outcomes

Responses to antifungal therapy were positive in most cases with 19 of the 21 SEK-afflicted eyes resolving after topical treatment was initiated. However, two of these 19 responsive cases experienced a recurrence and required further treatment. Two other eyes saw their condition escalate to ulcerative keratomycosis.

Conclusions

The findings from this research provided the first clinical report on a subtle form of keratomycosis in horses, known as subepithelial keratomycosis (SEK). Outcomes indicated that SEK might represent either a unique clinical entity or a part of a continuum in the spectrum of cases for equine keratomycosis. The positive response to antifungal therapy in most cases also suggested potential for effective treatment. In-depth research is required to understand and confirm these observations better.