Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fungal eye infection in a leopard gecko with sore mouth and bone
By Munevar, Christian et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2019·William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Acremonium and trichosporon fungal keratoconjunctivitis in a Leopard Gecko (Eublepharis macularius).
- Species:
- reptile
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old male leopard gecko was brought in because he had trouble shedding skin around his eyes for two years, which led to dryness and ulcers on the eye surface. Despite treatment with antibiotics and vitamin A, his eye condition didn't improve. Tests showed he had a fungal infection caused by two types of fungi, Acremonium and Trichosporon. After starting antifungal eye drops, his eye health improved, but unfortunately, he was later euthanized due to ongoing vomiting and breathing problems.
People also search for: leopard gecko eye problems · fungal infection in reptiles · treatment for gecko shedding issues
Abstract
A 6-year-old male leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) was presented with a 2-year history of recurrent dysecdysis involving the ocular surface of both eyes. Ophthalmic examination revealed ocular surface desiccation and multifocal superficial ulcerative keratitis with patchy remnants of retained shed. Other abnormalities included stomatitis and mandibular and maxillary osteomyelitis. Topical and systemic antibiotic therapy, oral vitamin A, and improved husbandry conditions resolved the stomatitis and osteomyelitis but did not improve the ocular surface. Corneal cytology collected with a cytobrush revealed branching hyphae and budding yeast consistent with fungal keratitis. Fungal culture grew Acremonium sp. and Trichosporon sp. The addition of topical antifungal therapy improved the ocular surface health, but the patient was euthanized 7 weeks after initial presentation for persistent vomiting and dyspnea. Necropsy was declined. This case describes the first case of fungal keratitis caused by Acremonium sp. and Trichosporon sp. in a reptile.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31339654/