Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Retrobulbar cellulitis and abscess in dogs in the southeastern US
By Herrmann, James W et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2021·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine Retrobulbar Cellulitis and Abscessation in the Southeastern United States: A review of case management, diagnostic imaging, bacterial isolates, and susceptibility patterns.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought in with swelling around the eyes and signs of pain, which can indicate retrobulbar cellulitis (an infection behind the eye). The vet used imaging tests and found that most cases were treated successfully with antibiotics, particularly gentamicin or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. In some cases, vision loss was noted, but many dogs recovered well with the right treatment. This condition can be serious, but with prompt care, most dogs can regain their health and vision.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe common bacterial organisms cultured from retrobulbar cellulitis and abscess lesions, in vitro susceptibility patterns, common diagnostic techniques utilized, etiologies encountered, and prevalence of blindness. ANIMALS STUDIED: Thirty-eight dogs diagnosed with retrobulbar cellulitis or abscessation from 2007 to 2017. PROCEDURE: For cases of orbital cellulitis or abscess, signalment, orbital imaging, cytology, histopathology, bacterial culture and susceptibility testing, presence of vision at the initial examination and resolution, and presumed cellulitis/abscess etiology were recorded. RESULTS: Most cases were medically (78.9%) versus surgically managed (18.4%). Most common form of orbital imaging was computed tomography (48.5%) followed by ocular ultrasound (18.2%). Fifteen of eighteen cultures (83.3%) showed growth of aerobic bacterial organisms, anaerobic bacterial organisms, or both. Most common aerobic bacteria were gram-negative bacilli (40.0%) followed by Corynebacterium sp. (26.7%) and α-hemolytic Streptococci sp. (26.7%) but Micrococcus and Bacillus spp. were also identified. Most common anaerobic bacteria were gram-negative bacilli (40.0%). Antibiotics with highest susceptibility patterns included gentamicin, followed equally by amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, cephalothin, chloramphenicol, and imipenem. No bacteria were susceptible to cefovecin. Six cases presented with vision loss due to retrobulbar disease (15.8%). Idiopathic (50%) disease and tooth root abscessation (23.7%) were most commonly diagnosed cause of orbital disease. CONCLUSION: Retrobulbar cellulitis/abscess is a serious and vision-threatening process, which can be effectively managed by broad-spectrum antibiotics such as gentamicin or amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, but not cefovecin. This study identified three organisms that have not been previously reported to be associated with orbital cellulitis (Corynebacterium sp., Bacillus sp. and Micrococcus sp.).
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34480390/