Bilateral Complex Microphthalmia with Intraocular Dermoid Cyst in a Neonate Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)

Abstract

A 3-day-old, male red deer (Cervus elaphus) with bilateral microphthalmia was found dead in the Western Alps in northern Italy. No other gross alterations were present. Ocular globes were formalin fixed and processed for histology. In both eyes, a large cyst, filled with keratin and lined by squamous epithelium admixed with sebaceous glands and hair follicles, expanded the anterior chamber. A mass composed of spindle cells and small tubules, embedded in myxoid ground substance, filled the vitreal chamber. No lens tissue was found, leading to the speculation that the dermoid cystic structures originated from abnormal differentiation of the primitive ectodermal lens vesicle. Immunohistochemistry with a panel of antibodies against cytoskeletal proteins revealed neural and mesenchymal elements within the vitreal mass. A complex bilateral ocular dysgenesis, with microphthalmia, aphakia, and dermoid metaplasia of primitive lens vesicle was diagnosed. The latter finding was unusual and was previously documented only in Texel sheep (Ovis ammon), in which it was related to specific gene mutation on chromosome 23.

Bilateral Microphthalmia and Aphakia Associated with Multiple Eye Abnormalities in a Free-Living European Red Deer Calf (<i>Cervus elaphus</i>)

“…The similar report described by Gelmetti et al [6] in a brief period and in two close geographical areas could further support the need for a continuing monitoring of wild animal population, in order to improve our knowledge about less relevant pathological entities and their possible correlation with the environment.…”

“…Microphthalmia has also been described in the white-tailed deer [5,7,14]. A case of bilateral ocular dysgenesis in a 3-day-old red deer (Cervus elaphus) affected by bilateral microphthalmia (1.5 cm in diameter), dermoid cyst, diffuse corneal opacity, eyelid coloboma at the nasal cantus, conjunctival prolapse without conjunctival secretion was recently reported in north Italy [6]. The histological find- ings reported by Gelmetti and others [6] appeared similar to microphthalmia described in human patients [16].…”

“…Blindness, anophthalmia and corneal opacity [4], microphtalmia [14], ectopic intraocular lacrimal gland tissue with other ocular abnormalities [18], visual defects due to congenital abnormalities [7], true anophthalmia, congenital cystic and microphthalmic eyes with choristoma [5] were detected in free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus vinginianus). Gelmetti and others [6] reported a case of bilateral ocular dysgenesis in a 3-day-old red deer (Cervus elaphus) affected by a large intraocular dermoid cyst, bilateral microphthalmia, diffuse corneal opacity, eyelid coloboma, and conjunctival prolapse. Impaired vision due to congenital microphthalmia has also been reported in two free-living moose (Alces alces) in Canada [9].…”

“…A case of bilateral ocular dysgenesis in a 3-day-old red deer (Cervus elaphus) affected by bilateral microphthalmia (1.5 cm in diameter), dermoid cyst, diffuse corneal opacity, eyelid coloboma at the nasal cantus, conjunctival prolapse without conjunctival secretion was recently reported in north Italy [6]. The histological find- ings reported by Gelmetti and others [6] appeared similar to microphthalmia described in human patients [16]. Microphthalmia may be resulted from involution of the primary optic vesicle and failure of the fetal cleft to close (colobomatous microphtalmia) or abnormality in the development of the ectodermal surface leading to failure of lens formation.…”

Ocular Dermoids in Crossbred Indian Cattle: A Comparative Evaluation of Four Year (2012 - 2015) Study Results and Literature Reviews

“…Usually, they are located in limbus, cornea, conjunctiva, corneoconjunctiva (Lawson, 1975) but also have been noticed in membrana nictitans and eyelid (Roh et al, 2014). Dermoids have been reported frequently in dogs (Barnett et al, 2002;Bodh et al, 2015) and cattle calves (Al-Badrany et al, 1989;Yeruham et al, 2002;Roh et al, 2014), less in cats (Glaze, 2005) and rarely in other domestic animals like horse ( Joyce et al, 1990;Greenberg et al, 2012), donkey (Misk et al, 1994), buffalo (Rezaei et al, 2007), goat (Pimentel et al, 2007), sheep (Bukar et al, 2008), camel (Moore et al, 1999) and pig (Brightman et al, 1985), wild animals like white tailed deer (LaDouceur et al, 2012), red deer (Gelmetti et al, 2010), lion (Robinson and Benirschke, 1981) and wildebeest (Weber and vanHoven, 1990), birds like parrot (Leber and Burge, 1999) and goose (Busch, 1985), laboratory animals like rat (Nichols and Yanoff, 1969), rabbit (Styer et al, 2005), guinea pig (Otto et al, 1991;Wappler et al, 2002) and even in humans (Pirouzian, 2013). Among cattle, the condition has been evaluated and reported exclusively in native Korean cattle (Roh et al, 2014), Hereford cattle (Barkyoumb and Leipold, 1984;Brudenall et al, 2008) and Israeli-Holstein breed (Yeruham et al, 2002).…”