Retinopatia deficiente de taurina em uma gata / Taurine deficiency retinopathy in a cat

Background: Taurine is an essential amino acid for cats and its deficiency causes an ocular disorder called taurine deficiency retinopathy. The retinal lesion is definitive and can be classified into five progression stages. In an advanced stage, it leads to blindness that in most cases is irreversible. This disease is considered rare as taurine is currently supplemented in commercial cat food. The objective of this report is to describe the ophthalmic changes in a cat with advanced taurine deficiency retinopathy, a rare but current disease that is important for differential diagnosis of blindness in cats. Case: We report the case of an adult mixed-breed cat (weighing 3.4 kg), that was attended by the Ophthalmology Service of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science (UNESP - Botucatu), which was treated due to complaints of poor visual acuity for about 1 year. The animal, which was previously a stray animal, had been adopted for 2 years and provided premium cat food ad libitum. Ophthalmic examination showed bilateral mydriasis, with negative menace, direct pupillary, and consensual light reflexes. No change was observed in the ocular appendages, cornea, anterior chamber, lens, and vitreous humor. The eyes were normotensive and fluorescein test negative. Direct and indirect fundoscopy revealed an area of ellipsoidal hyperreflexia with darkened margins laterally to the optic nerve disk in the tapetal region and intense retinal vascular attenuation in both eyes, with a diagnosis of taurine deficiency retinopathy. Complete blood count and biochemical analysis parameters were within the normal range, including the leukocyte count. The guardian was instructed to continue feeding the cat balanced cat food and received information on the proper care and management of a blind animal. Discussion: Although taurine deficient retinopathy is currently underdiagnosed due to the supplementation of this amino acid in commercial cat food, animals that are not properly fed, such as those receiving dog food or homemade food, may be deficient in this amino acid. Taurine deficiency and in this case, the consequent taurine deficiency retinopathy, was diagnosed by visualizing the lesion characteristic of this amino acid deficit since no other retinal change presents this aspect in cats. Therefore, this lesion is considered pathognomonic of this deficiency. Hyperreflective retinal lesions with darkened margins indicate the slow chronic progression in the already stabilized lesions. The animal in this report presented pigmented lesion margins, indicating the chronicity of these retinal changes. Moreover, lesion signs are visible on fundoscopy only after a period of 2-11 months of nutritional amino acid deficiency, and complete retinal atrophy usually occurs after at least nine months of taurine deficiency. Thus, complete blindness associated with advanced retinal changes reinforced the suspicion that the animal had taurine deficiency for a prolonged period of time prior to its adoption. Its guardian was instructed to provide balanced commercial cat food, because although retinal lesions are irreversible, cardiac changes resulting from taurine deficiency are reversed with dietary supplementation. In addition, taurine deficiency affects other organs and systems, such as the central nervous, immune, and reproductive systems. In conclusion, although taurine deficiency retinopathy is currently rare, this condition should be considered one of the possible differential diagnoses for blindness in feline patients.

Endoftalmite bacteriana severa bilateral em cão após facectomia intracapsular - relato de caso / Bilateral bacterial endophthalmitis in dog after intracapsular surgery - case report / Endoftalmitis bacteriana grave bilateral en perro tras faquectomía intracapsular - relato do caso

A Endoftalmite é um processo inflamatório grave que acomete o interior do bulbo ocular, podendo levar à cegueira e até mesmo à enucleação. Vários micro-organismos estão envolvidos na sua etiopatogenia, tais como bactérias, vírus, protozoários e outros. Estes podem ser inoculados no olho após cirurgias oftálmicas, traumas não cirúrgicos ou mesmo por via hematógena decorrente de uma infecção sistêmica. O objetivo deste trabalho foi relatar um caso de endoftalmite bacteriana bilateral em um cão, apresentando hipópio severo, secreção purulenta e úlcera em melting. O diagnóstico microbiológico foi realizado por meio da cultura e antibiograma após enucleação bilateral.

Endophthalmitis is a severe inflammatory process that affects the eve, which can lead to blindness and even enucleation. Several microorganisms are involved in their pathogenesis, such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa and others. It can be inoculated in the eye postoperative following intraocular surgery, nonsurgical trauma or by hematogenous dissemination due to a systemic infection. The aim of this study was to report a case of bilateral bacterial endophthalmitis in a dog, with hypopyon, severe purulent secretion and melting ulcer. The microbiological diagnosis was made by culture and antibiogram after bilateral enucleation.

Endoftalmitis es un proceso inflamatorio grave que afecta el interior del globo ocular, lo que puede conducir a la ceguera y incluso la enucleación. Varios microorganismos están implicados en su patogénesis, tales como bacterias, virus, protozoos y similares. Estos pueden ser inoculados en el ojo después de la cirugía intraocular, del trauma quirúrgico o por vía hematógena debido a una infección sistémica. El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar un caso de endoftalmitis bacteriana bilateral en un perro, con hipopión severo, secreción purulenta y úlcera en melting. El diagnóstico microbiológico fue hecho por cultivo y antibiograma después de la enucleación bilateral.

Endoftalmite bacteriana severa bilateral em cão após facectomia intracapsular - relato de caso

A Endoftalmite é um processo inflamatório grave que acomete o interior do bulbo ocular, podendo levar à cegueira e até mesmo à enucleação. Vários micro-organismos estão envolvidos na sua etiopatogenia, tais como bactérias, vírus, protozoários e outros. Estes  podem ser inoculados no olho após cirurgias oftálmicas, traumas não cirúrgicos ou mesmo por via hematógena decorrente de uma infecção sistêmica. O objetivo deste trabalho foi relatar um caso de endoftalmite bacteriana bilateral em um cão, apresentando hipópio severo, secreção purulenta e úlcera em melting. O diagnóstico microbiológico foi realizado por meio da cultura e antibiograma após enucleação bilateral.