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Mo PM, Picard J, Gummow B. The conjunctival fungal microflora of horses in a North Queensland tropical environment and their in vitro susceptibilities to antifungal agents. Vet Res Commun 2023; 47:1641-1651. [PMID: 37022654 PMCID: PMC10485094 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-023-10119-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Fungi are ubiquitous in the environment and part of the commensal microflora on the conjunctiva of equine eyes. North Queensland, being tropical, presents an ideal environment for fungi growth. When the cornea is injured, fungi can invade the corneal stroma, resulting in keratomycosis. The objectives of this study were to determine the fungal species specific to the eyes of horses in the Townsville region; to investigate the potential risk factors associated with the presence of fungi; and to test their susceptibility to antifungals to create an empirical guide for treatment. The eyes of forty ophthalmologically normal horses from James Cook University were sampled throughout the summer months of December 2017, January 2018, and January and February 2020. Cultured fungi were identified morphologically, and their identity confirmed by comparing partial 18sRNA DNA sequences with the NCBI nucleotide database. Minimum inhibitory concentration testing of common antifungal medications was performed. Sixty-one out of eighty conjunctival samples grew fungi, and 21 different fungi genera were isolated. The most common genera were Aspergillus (18%, 26/141), Curvularia (14%,20/141), Rhodotorula (12%,17/141) and Penicillium (12%,17/141). No significant association was found between age or environmental factors and fungal culture status. Most fungi were highly susceptible to voriconazole and ketoconazole but resistant to fluconazole and amphotericin B. This adds to the body of evidence on which species of fungi are present as normal ocular microflora of horses living in tropical regions of Australia, and an avenue for treating them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phu Mo Mo
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Jacqueline Picard
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia
| | - Bruce Gummow
- College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia
- Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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Tahoun A, Elnafarawy HK, Elmahallawy EK, Abdelhady A, Rizk AM, El-Sharkawy H, Youssef MA, El-Khodery S, Ibrahim HMM. Epidemiological and Molecular Investigation of Ocular Fungal Infection in Equine from Egypt. Vet Sci 2020; 7:vetsci7030130. [PMID: 32911615 PMCID: PMC7558555 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci7030130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Diagnosis and treatment of ocular fungal infection in equine seems very challenging for owners and clinicians. The present study aimed to identify and characterize fungal species isolated from the eyes of clinically healthy and diseased equines (N = 100) from Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. The work also involved morphological and molecular characterization of the major fungal species. In addition, correlations between the occurrence of isolated fungi and some of the potential risk factors were also investigated. Interestingly, the prevalence rate of ocular mycosis in all examined equines in the study was 28% and there were major clinical signs associated with ocular fungal infection. Moreover, the identified fungal species included Aspergillus flavus, A. fumigatus, A. niger, Penicillium spp., Mucor spp., and Alternari spp. with a corresponding prevalence rate of 63.9%, 27.8%, 15.3%, 18.1%, 13.9%, and 4.2%, respectively, in healthy equine eyes, while their prevalence in diseased equine eyes was 57.1%, 32.1%, 21.4%, 7.1%, 3.6%, and 0%. Furthermore, a statistical significant association (p < 0.05) was found between the frequency of isolation of A. fumigatus and Penicillium and several risk factors (breed, sex, and ground type), while the remaining risk factors and occurrence of fungi were not statistically correlated. A subset of the Aspergillus species samples positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were sequenced and their phylogenetic analysis identified three species of Aspergillus. Taken together, our study provides novel data related to the occurrence of ocular mycosis in equine in Egypt. Given the zoonotic potential of some identified fungi, our data may be helpful for implementation of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for combating this sight-threatening infection in equine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amin Tahoun
- Department of Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelshkh University, Kafrelsheikh 33511, Egypt;
| | - Helmy K. Elnafarawy
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt; (H.K.E.); (M.A.Y.); (S.E.-K.)
| | - Ehab Kotb Elmahallawy
- Department of Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag 82524, Egypt
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leon, s/n, 24071 León, Spain
- Correspondence: (E.K.E.); (H.M.M.I.)
| | - Abdelhamed Abdelhady
- Parasitology and Animal Diseases Department, National Research center, Dokki, Giza, 12622, Egypt;
| | - Amira M. Rizk
- Department of Bacteriology, Mycology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Benha 13518, Egypt;
| | - Hanem El-Sharkawy
- Department of Poultry and Rabbit Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33511, Egypt;
| | - Mohamed A. Youssef
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt; (H.K.E.); (M.A.Y.); (S.E.-K.)
| | - Sabry El-Khodery
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt; (H.K.E.); (M.A.Y.); (S.E.-K.)
| | - Hussam M. M. Ibrahim
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt; (H.K.E.); (M.A.Y.); (S.E.-K.)
- Correspondence: (E.K.E.); (H.M.M.I.)
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