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Query: UMLS:C0022568 (keratitis)
 5,133 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This article analyzes various types of ocular disorders associated with the use of oral contraceptives (OCs) as well as the ocular risks of pregnancy in diabetic women. Numerous publications have described the secondary ophthalmologic effects of OCs since they have entered into widespread use. Such effects or complications are rare, nonspecific, occur after a short or long duration of use, and may be serious or minor. Among less serious reported effects are modifications of refraction or ocular tension, intolerance of contact lenses, keratitis, and alterations of color vision. Vascular complications are the most serious effect tentatively identified, but few prospective and comparative studies have been conducted to confirm the relationship. The role of OCs is assumed from observation of a few cases, and is disturbing because vascular accidents are rare in women under age 40. The vascular effects may include venous or arterial occlusion of the retina, isolated bleeding, retinal edema, vascular pseudo-papillitis, or visual problems resulting from transient cerebral ischemic accidents and ophthalmic migraines. Such effects may threaten the eyesight, but an American study recently found 82 cases among 10-15 million OC users. Occlusion of the main retinal artery usually results in loss of sight and functional recuperation is unusual. Spasm of the central retinal artery may precede occlusion and requires immediate ophthalmologic examination and discontinuation of OCs. Venous occlusion occurs less suddenly and involves a less extensive loss of sight. The prognosis depends on the affected area. Some effects, such as isolated retinal bleeding and vascular pseudo-papillitis, are reversed on termination of OC use. The risk of ocular vascular accidents is affected by smoking, irregular lipid and glucose metabolism, and hypertension. A history of vascular problems, visual problems, or migraines should be excluded before OCs are prescribed, and an initial ophthalmologic examination can explore retinal vascular anomalies and follow high risk patients with fluorescent angiography. Migraines should be considered a warning signal; if they appear premenstrually or persist despite use of low-dose pills, another method of contraception should be used. The considerable elevation of levels of estrogen and progesterone that occurs in pregnancy has no major ocular consequences for normal women but may cause or aggravate retinopathy in diabetic women. Few prospective studies have been done, but it appears that 80% of retinopathies that originate in pregnancy remain uncomplicated. Preexisting conditions are likely to become more serious. The most serious are associated with elevated rates of spontaneous abortion and neonatal complications. A diabetic woman desiring to have children should be advised to do so as early as possible and should be screened for retinal disease and treated before becomig pregnant.
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PMID:[The eye and hormones: vascular disorders associated with combined oral contraceptives and pregnancy]. 1228 Feb 1

Ocular infections by chlamydiae are associated with ocular disease manifestations such as conjunctivitis and keratitis in humans and animals. Limited evidence exists that members of the order Chlamydiales can also cause ocular disease in sheep. In the current study, the prevalence of chlamydiae in the eyes of sheep was investigated by using PCR methods. Data obtained in sheep by broad-range 16S rRNA order Chlamydiales-specific PCR were compared to the prevalence of antibodies against chlamydiae detected by a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). Flocks tested included a clinically healthy flock and two flocks suffering from ocular disease and with histories of Ovine Enzootic Abortion (OEA). PCR detected DNA of Chlamydophila (Cp.) abortus and Cp. pecorum in the eyes of both healthy and sick animals but also identified Chlamydia (C.) suis and a variety of uncultured chlamydia-like organisms. Good correlation was found between the presence of Cp. abortus DNA in sheep conjunctival samples and seropositivity detected by cELISA. Despite these findings, no association was found between the presence of chlamydial DNA in the sheep conjunctival samples and the onset of clinical disease. These results suggest that the biodiversity of chlamydiae in the eyes of sheep is greater than that previously thought. Further investigations are needed to determine whether a causal relationship between infection by chlamydiae and ocular disease exists in these animals.
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PMID:Molecular evidence for chlamydial infections in the eyes of sheep. 1894 56

Canine herpesvirus-1 (CHV-1) is an alphaherpesvirus with a host range restricted to canids. Latent CHV-1 infection is endemic in domestic dog populations worldwide. The role of CHV-1 in severe systemic neonatal infections and as an aetiology of infectious infertility and abortion has been appreciated for decades; however, ocular diseases of mature dogs conclusively associated with CHV-1 infection were only recently described. Clinically, CHV-1 infection may produce a diverse range of adnexal and ocular surface lesions in mature dogs, including blepharitis, conjunctivitis, ulcerative keratitis, and nonulcerative keratitis. These conditions can develop during primary or recurrent ocular CHV-1 infection. Recurrent CHV-1 infections associated with reactivation of latent virus may be observed during a variety of situations and in association with numerous different viral reactivation stimuli, including the administration of immunosuppressive pharmaceuticals. The understanding of CHV-1 pathophysiology and ocular infections in mature dogs has expanded rapidly during the past few years, but much remains to be elucidated. As the number of dogs living with chronic immunomodulatory systemic diseases and receiving immunosuppressive therapeutics continues to grow, the clinical importance of CHV-1 ocular infections is also likely to increase.
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PMID:Canine herpesvirus-1 ocular diseases of mature dogs. 2343 42

The genus Aspergillus is composed of more than 300 species, a fraction of which are involved in animal or human infections mostly following environmental exposure. Various risk factors (i.e., immunosuppression, tuberculosis) have been recognized for human whereas for veterinary infections, unhygienic management, trauma, anatomical conformation of the skull, or suspected immunological deficiencies have been suggested. In animals, aspergillosis is mostly sporadic but in some circumstance such as infections on poultry farms may involve the whole flock. Since the high prevalence of immunosuppression in human patients has not been mirrored in veterinary medicine, and although to the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive data on the prevalence of aspergillosis in animals has been published, their epidemiology has not changed during the last decades. The impact of these infections may be economic or if they are incurable, sentimental. The objective of the first part is to describe the diagnosis of the main clinical entities caused by Aspergillus spp. in animals. It includes disseminated canine aspergillosis, canine and feline sino-nasal and sino-orbital aspergillosis, guttural pouch mycosis in horses, mycotic abortion in cattle, mycotic keratitis in horses, and avian aspergillosis. When pathogenesis and clinical aspects are relevant for diagnosis-they will be addressed as well. The second part deals with human aspergillosis, which is a multifaceted disease, manifested in a spectrum of clinical entities affecting one or more organs. Diagnosis is based on the clinical manifestation, supported and confirmed by laboratory means, involving the classical approach of demonstrating the etiological agent in the clinical specimens and in culture. Noncultural methods, such as antigen detection and/or molecular assays to detect fungal nucleic acids or protein profiles, are used as well. The isolation and identification of the fungus allows the determination of its susceptibility to antifungal drugs. Thus, antifungal susceptibility testing maybe considered as part of the diagnostic process, which is of relevance for management of the infection. In this review article, the part dealing with diagnostic aspects of aspergillosis in humans concentrates on susceptibility testing of Aspergillus spp. to antifungal drugs and drug combinations. The technologies and methods of susceptibility testing are described and evaluated.
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PMID:Diagnostic Aspects of Veterinary and Human Aspergillosis. 2997 29