Isolation of <i>Moraxella</i> sp. from Cases of Keratoconjunctivitis in an Organized Sheep Farm of India

Abstract

Keratoconjunctivitis in sheep causes severe ocular irritation thereby reducing the production performance thus causing economic loss to the farmers. Bacterial cause of keratoconjunctivitis in sheep may be due to Listeria monocytogenes, Moraxella ovis, Mycoplasma conjunctivae, etc. An investigation carried out at Tirupathur, Sivagangai district, Tamil Nadu, India revealed keratoconjunctivitis in sheep (population 100 animals). Isolation and identification of eye swabs from ailing animals (n = 5) showed that the bacteria was Moraxella sp. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the isolate was positive for Moraxella sp. Antimicrobial sensitivity testing of the isolate showed that it was sensitive to all antibiotics used in the study. This study reports the presence of Moraxella sp. infection in sheep warranting further studies to know the exact status of this organism so as to prevent keratoconjunctivitis in sheep.

Clinical study on Moraxella-associated infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) of small ruminants

“…Moraxella spp has the ability to form biofilm but in vivo, this character reduced by the action of lysozyme naturally present in tears (Ely et al, 2018). Different prevalence rates of Moraxella associated infectious keratoconjunctivitis have been observed by several authors (Van Halderen et al, 1994;Naglić et al, 2000 andKarthik et al, 2017). There are different outcomes of various therapeutic trials used for IKC.…”

“…Moreover, frequent isolation of different microorganisms from ruminants with signs of IKC may attributed to the synergistic action between environmental risk factors and opportunistic pathogens habitat eye (Sağlam etal., 2018). However, Moraxella spp was isolated as single pathogen from outbreaks of IKC in sheep and goats flocks (Karthik et al, 2017 andAthira et al, 2018). Etiologically, Moraxella are Gram negative diplococci, nonmotile and catalase and oxidase positive, easily transmitted by contact with nasal and ocular discharges and by flies as mechanical transmitter (Ojo et al, 2009 andAthira et al, 2018).…”

Effects of platelet-rich plasma on corneal re-epithelization and metalloproteinase expression in the cornea of sheep with experimentally-induced infectious keratoconjunctivitis

“…In various cases, the lesions can trigger ulcers and corneal vascularization with conjunctivalization [ 2 ]. This bacterium is particularly sensitive to antimicrobials, including streptomycin, gentamicin, neomycin, oxacillin, penicillin, sulfonamides, and tetracycline [ 3 ]. Conversely, when treating infectious keratoconjunctivitis, therapeutic options other than antibiotics may be required, including those preventing eye perforation, which is why further treatment of corneal ulcers is usually necessary [ 4 ].…”

Bacteria associated with infectious keratoconjunctivitis outbreak in confined lambs

“…Infectious KC is responsible for high economic losses due to reduced weight gain, decreased production, expenses associated with medications and flock management [10]. It was also associated with a decrease in the twin pregnancy rate, increased pregnancy toxaemia, weight loss and trampling of lambs due to the mother's lack of vision [11].…”