Keratitis due to microfilariae in dogs: a newly recognized disease

Morales, Adriana; Perlmann, Eduardo; Abelha, Aline Nayara Vechiato; Levy, Carlos Emílio; Góes, Ana Carolina Almeida de; Safatle, Angélica de Mendonça Vaz

doi:10.1111/vop.12482

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Also, a single dermal microfilaria from the skin of a dog in Oklahoma, shorter than that of C. bainae, were reported in a recent study but could not be molecularly characterized (40). Additionally, in Brazil, microfilariae measuring ∼168 µm in length were recovered from skin snips and detected through histopathological examination in corneal biopsies of 8 dogs with ocular keratitis (208). Apart from dogs, large microfilariae of unknown morphological and molecular identity were observed in a cat from Florida and in a bobcat from Oklahoma.…”

Section: Reports Of Other Microfilariae Of Unknown Identitymentioning

confidence: 83%

Cutaneous filarioid nematodes of dogs in the United States: Are they emerging, neglected, or underdiagnosed parasites?

Gruntmeir

Kelly²,

Ramos³

et al. 2023

Front. Vet. Sci.

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Filarioid nematodes, which are vector-borne parasites of cosmopolitan distribution, of dogs are medically important. They are represented by species in which microfilariae were found to be circulating in the bloodstream (e.g., Dirofilaria sp., Acanthocheilonema sp., and Brugia sp.) or skin-dwelling (e.g., Cercopithifilaria sp. and Onchocerca sp.). Those species whose microfilariae are detected in blood have been extensively studied, especially Dirofilaria immitis, due to their clinical importance. In recent decades, there has been an increased interest by the scientific community in filarioid nematodes whose microfilariae are detected in the skin because of the zoonotic aspect of Onchocerca lupi. In the United States (US), although D. immitis has been considered the main filarioid infecting dogs, the intense animal movement and global canine filarioid diversity may indicate that the likely presence of cutaneous filarioid nematodes is more common than previously expected. Hence, a question remains: Are these canine filarioid nematodes emerging, neglected, or simply underdiagnosed in the US? In this review, we provide an overview of pertinent information that briefly summarizes the biology of the different canine filarioid nematode species, clinical signs associated with infections, and currently available diagnostic tools using molecular and microscopy-based methods and highlight knowledge gaps where research and surveillance efforts remain necessary. The data herein presented serve as an alert to the scientific community about the importance of filarioid nematodes infecting dogs other than D. immitis. Additionally, the zoonotic potential of several filarioid species reinforces the necessity of a proper diagnosis and the need for broader surveillance to understand their diversity and distribution, to highlight the potential introduction of certain species, and mitigate their establishment in the country and new animal and human cases.

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Section: Reports Of Other Microfilariae Of Unknown Identitymentioning

confidence: 83%

Cutaneous filarioid nematodes of dogs in the United States: Are they emerging, neglected, or underdiagnosed parasites?

Gruntmeir

Kelly²,

Ramos³

et al. 2023

Front. Vet. Sci.

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“…Onchocerca spp. and other microfilarial parasites can induce keratitis in a variety of host species, including humans, horses, and dogs 66–68 . The migration of microfilaria into the cornea, and the subsequent inflammatory response induced by their death, is believed to produce the keratitis in most situations.…”

Section: Parasitic Keratitismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…and other microfilarial parasites can induce keratitis in a variety of host species, including humans, horses, and dogs. [66][67][68] The migration of microfilaria into the cornea, and the subsequent inflammatory response induced by their death, is believed to produce the keratitis in most situations. The use of IVCM to detect microfilaria within the cornea of these host species in not described; however, the IVCM detection of Onchocerca lupi in the subconjunctival space of a dog is reported.…”

Section: Parasitic Keratitismentioning

confidence: 99%

Applications of in vivo confocal microscopy in the management of infectious keratitis in veterinary ophthalmology

Ledbetter

2021

Veterinary Ophthalmology

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In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) is a relatively new ocular imaging technique that permits morphological and quantitative assessment of the living cornea on the cellular level. The applications for IVCM in clinical ophthalmology are numerous and diverse. There are several advantages inherent to IVCM over standard diagnostic techniques currently used to confirm a diagnosis of infectious keratitis in veterinary ophthalmology. With IVCM, images can be viewed in real-time providing immediate diagnostic information. Traumatic corneal sampling techniques are avoided, and the procedure can be repeated as frequently as is clinically indicated without risk of corneal tissue damage. Both superficial and deep corneal lesions can be evaluated by IVCM in an atraumatic fashion.Microorganism viability is not required for their detection and specialized diagnostic laboratory assay procedures are not necessary. Many larger infectious agents can be directly identified within corneal lesions by IVCM, including fungi and parasites such as Acanthamoeba spp. In other situations, such as bacterial infectious crystalline keratopathy, the biological systems associated with the microorganism can be detected within the cornea. The current resolution of IVCM is inadequate to directly visualize some corneal infectious agents, such as herpesviruses, but host responses and virus-infected epithelial cells can be identified. This review summarizes the current knowledge and applications of IVCM in the management of infectious keratitis in veterinary ophthalmology, including its use in animals with bacterial, fungal, parasitic, and viral keratitis.

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