TDK conference 2023

Bacteria and viruses can be the cause of many ophthalmic lesions of infectious origin, however, protozoan parasites have the potential to also be the source of such lesions. Among the others, opportunistic protozoa, as exemplified by Acanthamoeba spp. and Toxoplasma gondii, are responsible for the manifestation of several diseases affecting the eyes in both humans and animals. Members of the genus Acanthamoeba have been identified as the cause of serious diseases including both Granulomatous Amebic Encephalitis (GAE) and Acanthamoeba Keratitis (AK). Ophthalmic lesions, resulting from acanthamoebosis have been widely investigated from a medical point of view, while such studies are scarce in veterinary scientific literature. The aim of our research was to attempt to detect protozoa, Acanthamoeba in particular, from small animal patients who presented to veterinarians with ophthalmic lesions and investigate the correlation between the two. The data used was collected in collaboration with veterinary ophthalmologists in Hungary who collected samples from 115 dogs and from 45 cats on our behalf. Samples were obtained using conjunctival swabs from animals experiencing conjunctivitis and keratitis/blepharitis to a lesser extent. The sample population included a variety of different breeds, a wide age spectrum and came from locations distributed throughout Hungary. Using conventional PCR as the detection method, samples were screened and examined for different protozoa. Although Acanthamoeba is a known causative agent of eye disease in humans, the results obtained from this study failed to identify Acanthamoeba and other protozoa such as Leishmania and Trichomonas species as major contributors to the incidence of ophthalmic lesions in small animal medicine.