Equine keratomycosis comprises a considerable portion of infectious keratitis in Japan, and the causative fungi that we isolated had been isolated previously from horses with keratomycosis in other regions with the exception of M. wolfii. Culture and cytological examination of corneal lesions should be immediately performed on eyes with signs of keratitis, particularly on those not improving with antibacterial medication, as early initiation of aggressive antifungal treatment tended to result in better outcome and shorter treatment period.
Cytology of tracheal aspirates, tracheal endoscopic and blood tests were carried out to
86 Thoroughbred racehorses presenting coughs or poor performance which were suspected to
have lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) to assess the conditions of the disorders.
Racehorses were classified into coughing (66 horses) and non-coughing (20 horses) groups
based on clinical symptoms. Nine Thoroughbred racehorses without respiratory abnormality
were used as controls. Assessment of grades of airway mucus, cytology of tracheal
aspirates and serum amyloid A (SAA), fibrinogen (Fbg) and pulmonary surfactant protein D
(SP-D) measurements were performed. Relationships between age, gender and racing careers
were also investigated to understand the characteristics of LRTD in racehorses. Mean age
was significantly higher in non-coughing group compared to coughing group. Existence of
racing career and number of starts were significantly greater in non-coughing group
compared to coughing group. On the other hand, grades of airway mucus were significantly
higher in coughing group compared to control group. Percentages of neutrophils in tracheal
aspirates were significantly higher in coughing group compared to non-coughing and control
groups. SAA, Fbg and SP-D were higher in coughing group compared to non-coughing and
control groups indicating that condition of coughing group is in the acute phase. Positive
rate of inflammatory airway disease was significantly higher in coughing and non-coughing
groups compared to control group. It was concluded that carrying out comprehensive
evaluation including investigation on SAA, Fbg and SP-D analysis with airway assessment to
Thoroughbred racehorses which were suspected to have LRTD are useful procedure to
understand the pathological condition which aid to initiate appropriate treatment,
prognosis judgment or to advise trainers to consider altering training regimen.
Cytologic evaluation of a corneal scraping was useful to make a clinical diagnosis of keratomycosis. Based on the mycological characteristics, the fungus isolated from the corneal lesion was identified as M. wolfii. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case report of equine keratomycosis associated with this fungus, although the organism is known to infect various organs of cattle.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.