Ulcerative keratitis associated with Salmonella arizonae infection in a horse.

The research paper discusses a case where a horse with an ulcerative keratitis eye infection was treated with atropine sulfate and a combination ointment. The infection was found to be caused by a specific strain of Salmonella arizonae.

Objective and Methodology of the Research

• The aim of this study was to identify the cause of ulcerative keratitis infection in a horse and to monitor the effectiveness of respective treatments.
• The researchers isolated the bacteria present in a swab from the infected eye, which was then cultivated into a pure culture for further examination.

Identification of the Infection

• The bacterial strain Salmonella arizonae 61:1,5 was found to be the causative agent of the ulcerative keratitis infection.
• Salmonella arizonae is a variant of the salmonella bacteria that is often associated with reptiles and has the ability to cause infections in mammals too.
• In this case, it resulted in unilateral ulcerative keratitis in the horse, an eye condition where ulcers form on the horse’s cornea.

Treatment Outcome

• The treatment strategy adopted in this case included atropine sulfate and polymyxin B-bacitracin-neomycin ophthalmic ointments.
• The horse’s eye responded well to this treatment, indicating these medications’ effectiveness against Salmonella arizonae-induced ulcerative keratitis.

Post-treatment Observation

• After the horse’s eye had healed, swab samples were taken again for laboratory testing.
• The post-healing samples showed that Salmonella was no longer a part of the horse’s eye bacterial flora.

All in all, the research indicated that the infection was successfully treated, and Salmonella arizonae was effectively eliminated. This suggests that the presented treatment method could be effective for similar cases in the future.