Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat lost an eye from infection after multiple tooth extractions
By Westermeyer, Hans D et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2013·Peace Avenue Veterinary Clinic·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Actinomyces endogenous endophthalmitis in a cat following multiple dental extractions.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old mixed breed cat developed severe eye problems after having all its teeth removed due to abscessed roots. Following the dental surgery, the cat experienced persistent inflammation in the eye that didn't improve with standard treatments, leading to the need for eye removal. Tests revealed that bacteria from the dental infection had spread to the eye. The cat had also been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and was receiving steroids for another health issue, which may have weakened its immune system. Unfortunately, the cat's condition was serious, and the eye had to be removed to address the infection.
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Abstract
An 8-year-old, brachycephalic, mixed breed cat underwent full mouth tooth extractions for the treatment of tooth root abscessation. Subsequently, the cat developed anterior uveitis refractory to topical therapy that eventually necessitated enucleation. Actinomyces species were isolated from both the tooth root abscesses and the anterior chamber after enucleation. Histopathology of the enucleated eye revealed panophthalmitis with abundant intralesional bacteria morphologically consistent with Actinomyces. Between the time of tooth root extraction and enucleation (20 weeks), the cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and treated with oral steroids for inflammatory bowel syndrome. We believe this report represents a rare case of endogenous endophthalmitis secondary to dental disease, possibly precipitated by concurrent immunosuppression.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23281798/