Fungal microbiota from ocular conjuctiva of clinically healthy horses belonging to the military police cavalry of alagoas.
Abstract: Normal fungal conjunctiva microbiota of horses remains stable in healthy animals, free from ocular and/or systemic diseases which may, eventually, cause ocular alterations. The knowledge of the fungal microbiota is of great importance due to the reduced number of studies reported in the literature and also to the large occurrence of ocular alterations, mainly keratomycosis, in these animals. The aim of this study was to isolate and to identify the fungi present in the ocular conjunctiva of healthy horses belonging to the Military Police Cavalry of Alagoas. Samples from both conjunctival sacks from 50 horses were taken using a sterile swab and submitted to fungal cultures. These samples were seeded by radial spreading of the swabs on the Sabouraud agar surface with chloramphenicol, at a concentration of 50mg/L, in Petri dishes. Next, dishes were incubated at room temperature (± 28°C) for 15 days. Horses conjunctival fungal microbiota was found to be composed by Aspergillus spp. (62%), Microsporum gypseum (6%), Penicillium spp. (6%), Curvularia spp. (5%), Candida spp. (3%), Fusarium spp. (3%), Acremonium spp. (2%), Bipolaris sp. (1%), Cladosporium sp. (1%), Chrysosporium sp. (1%), Rhodotorula sp. (1%), Aureobasidium sp. (1%) and Scopulariopsis sp. (1%). There is a wide variety of yeast-like and filamentous fungi colonizing the clinically healthy horses' ocular conjunctiva, out of which Aspergillus sp. is predominant. Although this was a straightforward study and have not recorded any ocular lesions that suggest fungi infections, these fungi might eventually be involved in this type of ocular pathology for the studied species.
Publication Date: 2011-09-01 PubMed ID: 24031735PubMed Central: PMC3768800DOI: 10.1590/S1517-838220110003000038Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research focuses on the identification and categorization of typical fungi present in the eye (ocular conjunctiva) of healthy horses, specifically those of the Military Police Cavalry of Alagoas. The intention was to help understand the average fungal microbiota in horses’ eyes, crucial to grasping the underlying causes of common eye illnesses, such as keratomycosis, in these animals.
Research Approach and Methodology
- The researchers collected samples from 50 horses. Both conjunctival sacks, the area between the inside of the eyelid and the surface of the horse’s eye, were swabbed using a sterile method.
- These samples were then subjected to fungal cultures by spreading the swabs radially on a medium known as Sabouraud agar supplemented with chloramphenicol
- Petri dishes were used to hold these samples which were then incubated at room temperature (around 28°C) for 15 days to allow fungal growth and identification.
Findings
- The conjunctival fungal microbiota, or the community of fungi present in the horses’ eyes, was found to consist of several types of fungi.
- These included Aspergillus spp. (62%), Microsporum gypseum (6%), Penicillium spp. (6%), Curvularia spp. (5%), Candida spp. (3%), Fusarium spp. (3%), Acremonium spp. (2%), Bipolaris sp. (1%), Cladosporium sp. (1%), Chrysosporium sp. (1%), Rhodotorula sp. (1%), Aureobasidium sp. (1%) and Scopulariopsis sp. (1%).
- Aspergillus spp. was the dominant type of fungi identified, accounting for 62% of the total fungi present.
The researchers concluded that although no ocular lesions indicating fungal infections were observed in the horses studied, the identified fungi might possibly contribute to such ocular diseases. This study’s findings provide vital foundational knowledge about the fungal microbiota of horses’ eyes and can be crucial for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of ocular diseases in horses.
Cite This Article
APA
de Sousa ME, Araújo MA, Mota RA, Porto WJ, Souza AK, Dos Santos JL, da Silva PP.
(2011).
Fungal microbiota from ocular conjuctiva of clinically healthy horses belonging to the military police cavalry of alagoas.
Braz J Microbiol, 42(3), 1151-1155.
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1517-838220110003000038 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Ciência Veterinária , Recife, PE , Brasil.
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Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Walsh ML, Meason-Smith C, Arnold C, Suchodolski JS, Scott EM. Evaluation of the ocular surface mycobiota in clinically normal horses. PLoS One 2021;16(2):e0246537.
- Martin de Bustamante MG, Plummer CE, Caddey B, Gomez DE. The effect of topical antibiotic or antibiotic-corticosteroid treatment on the ocular surface microbiota of healthy horses. Front Microbiol 2025;16:1535095.
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