Abstract
When presented with an animal exhibiting signs of keratitis (inflammation of the cornea), such as impaired vision, mucoid discharges, redness, swelling, and corneal oedema, most veterinarians would think of bacteria, viruses, or fungi as the potential causative agent(s). However, evidence has arisen in recent years of a possible connection between the protozoan Acanthamoeba and keratitis in animals. Acanthamoeba infection is underdiagnosed, but potentially common, in animals. In view of the paucity of evidence regarding Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) in animals, this review has been written to increase awareness of veterinary professionals of the potential threat associated with AK and to stimulate more studies into the extent of occurrence and clinical impact of AK in animals.
Highlights
Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a rare parasitic disease caused by acute infection with trophozoites of the opportunistic protozoan Acanthamoeba castellanii (Figure 1), which can have serious adverse health effects on infected individuals
Infection rates with Acanthamoeba may be higher in animals prone to fighting and acquiring corneal injuries; foreign particles contaminated with Acanthamoeba can become lodged in the cat’s eye leading to AK, as has been suggested previously [17]
The standard treatment for AK in humans involves the administration of biguanide antiseptic eyedrops, for example 0.02% chlorhexidine (CHX) and polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB)
Summary
Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a rare parasitic disease caused by acute infection with trophozoites of the opportunistic protozoan Acanthamoeba castellanii (Figure 1), which can have serious adverse health effects on infected individuals. An earlier report showed that Acanthamoeba can kill mice and monkeys [9] Several animal models, such as rat, hamster, rabbit and micropig, have been developed to investigate the pathogenesis of AK by infecting these animals with Acanthamoeba via intrastromal injections or scratching the corneal surface before placing contaminated contact lenses over the eye [10,11]. T2 genotype, while the tected a horse, acats sheep primates [13].other cat had the T4 genotype, evidence forrisk zoonotic transmission is lacking, given the limited spec-cats highlighting the potential of infection for humans and animals Both host of these ificity, the similarity between one humans and some animals in the binding affinity of Acanwere immunocompromised; tested positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Obtained a representative sample of the studied population; both obtained their candidates
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