Ocular Bacterial and Fungal Flora in Clinically Healthy Horses in Diyarbakır

Abstract

The ocular flora can be affected by many factors such as the environment in which the horse lives, climate, geography, etc. The aim of this study was to determine the bacterial and fungal ocular flora and to define the determined bacterial and fungal species in healthy racehorses that race at Diyarbakir Hippodrome and do not race in farms close to the Hippodrome. The study group consisted of 112 healthy eyes of 28 Thoroughbred Arabian and British horses of different ages and genders, which raced in the Diyarbakir Hippodrome and 28 did not race in the farms near the Hippodrome. Bacterial and fungal agents in the conjunctival flora were isolated and identified by swabbing with sterile swaps from the medial canthus of healthy eyes and transported to Dicle University Veterinary Faculty Microbiology Laboratory in a cold chain. Bacteriological growth was 94.64%, fungal growth was 28.57% in the hippodrome group, bacteriological growth was 100% in the farm group, and fungal growth (14.29%) was detected. It was determined that of the evaluated conjunctival swab samples, 87.79% of isolated and identified bacteria were Gram-positive in the hippodrome group, 12.21% were Gram-negative, 82.56% were Gram-positive and 17.43% were Gram-negative in the farm group. Staphylococcus spp. formed the majority of the microflora in both groups. As a result, it is thought that it will help to determine the conjunctival flora at regular intervals and to determine the treatment to be followed in case of possible corneal or eye damage, and vision loss due to corneal damage can be prevented with early intervention.

Keywords

• Bacterial flora
• Fungal flora
• Gram-positive bacteria
• Gram negative bacteria
• Horse

Diyarbakır’da Klinik Olarak Sağlıklı Atlarda Oküler Bakteriyel ve Fungal Flora

Abstract

Oküler flora atın yaşadığı ortam, iklim, coğrafya vb. birçok etkenden etkilenebilir. Bu çalışmanın amacını Diyarbakır Hipodromunda yarış koşan ve hipodroma yakın çiftliklerde yarış koşmayan sağlıklı yarış atlarında bakteriyel ve fungal oküler florayı belirlemek ve belirlenen bakteri ve mantar türlerini tanımlamak amaçlandı. Çalışma grubunu değişik yaş ve cinsiyette Diyarbakır Hipodromunda bulunan yarış koşan 28 ve hipodrom yakınlarındaki çiftliklerde yarış koşmayan 28 safkan Arap ve İngiliz atına ait 112 sağlıklı göz oluşturdu. Sağlıklı gözlerin medial kantusundan steril swaplarla sürüntü alınarak soğuk zincirde Dicle Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Mikrobiyoloji Laboratuvarına ulaştırılarak konjunktival florada bulunan bakteri ve fungal etkenlerin izolasyonu ve identifikasyonu yapıldı. Hipodrom grubundaki atlarda bakteriyolojik üreme oranının %94.64, fungal üremenin ise %28.57 olduğu, çiftlik grubundaki atlarda bakteriyolojik üremenin %100, fungal üremenin ise %14.29 olduğu tespit edildi. Değerlendirilen konjunktival svap örneklerinin izole ve identifiye edilen bakterilerin hipodrom grubunda %87.79’unun Gram pozitif, %12.21’inin Gram negatif, çiftlik grubunda ise %82.56’sının Gram pozitif, %17.43’ünün de Gram negatif olduğu belirlendi. Her iki grupta da mikrofloranın büyük çoğunluğunu Staphylococcus spp. tarafından oluştuğu görüldü. Sonuç olarak, atlarda belirli aralıklarla konjunktival floranın belirlenmesinin olası bir kornea veya göz hasarında izlenecek tedavinin belirlenmesine yardımcı olacağı; ayrıca erken müdahale ile kornea hasarına bağlı görme kayıplarının önüne geçilebileceği düşünülmektedir.

Keywords

• At
• Bakteriyel flora
• Fungal flora
• Gram pozitif bakteri
• Gram negatif bakteri

Thanks

Diyarbakır Hipodromu At Hastanesi çalışanlarına yardımlarından dolayı teşekkür ederiz.

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