Ocular disease in the guinea pig (<i>Cavia porcellus</i>): a survey of 1000 animals

Williams, David L.; Sullivan, Ann

doi:10.1111/j.1463-5224.2010.00812.x

Cited by 43 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Williams and Sullivan [33] found that an excess of vitamin C can cause ocular abnormalities in guinea pigs, but the risks associated with hypovitaminosis C appear to outweigh any adverse effects associated with excessive supplementation. However, a high percentage of owners supplementing their animals with vitamin C was also seen in a similar study with the authors stating that the management of dietary uptake of vitamin C in guinea pigs should always be discussed [21].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Investigation into the Relationship between Owner Knowledge, Diet, and Dental Disease in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus)

Norman

Wills

2016

Animals

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Simple SummaryDental disease is a serious problem in small mammals, with cases in rabbits well documented. Guinea pigs also suffer from this condition, yet the literature investigating the underlying causes in guinea pigs is limited. Owners of guinea pigs were surveyed to investigate what they fed their animals. It was discovered that there was no relationship between the overall diet of the animals and whether or not they had been diagnosed with dental disease or displayed clinical signs of the disease. However, the environment was important, with animals that had access to the outside, including the use of runs on both concrete and grass, less likely to display clinical signs of disease. Some of the clinical signs of dental disease in guinea pigs, including difficulty eating, were related to dental problems. These findings are important, as many guinea pigs may not have continuous access to the outdoors. Dental disease is a serious welfare concern, as many owners may not pick up on the clinical signs, leaving animals susceptible to pain, dysphagia, malnutrition, and secondary infection. It is important that owners are aware of key clinical signs, particularly in multi-animal households where monitoring food consumption may be challenging.AbstractRecent studies have highlighted a high prevalence of dental disease in domestic guinea pigs, yet the aetiology of this multi-factorial disease is still unclear. Factors that have been associated with dental disease include feeding a diet that is high in energy but low in fibre, feeding an insufficiently abrasive diet, a lack of dietary calcium, and genetics. As many of these factors relate to the husbandry requirements of guinea pigs, owner awareness of dietary requirements is of the utmost importance. An online questionnaire was created based on previous research into the husbandry and feeding of rabbits. Guinea pig owners were asked to answer questions on the clinical history of their animals and their diet and management. In total, 150 surveys were completed for 344 guinea pigs, where owners of multiple animals could complete the survey for individuals. According to the owners, 6.7% of guinea pigs had been clinically diagnosed with dental disease, but 16.6% had signs consistent with dental disease. The specific clinical signs of having difficulty eating (Exp(B) = 33.927, Nagelkerke R2 = 0.301, p < 0.05) and producing fewer or smaller faecal droppings (Exp(B) = 13.733, Nagelkerke R2 = 0.149, p < 0.05) were predictive for the presence of dental disease. Having access to an outside environment, including the use of runs on both concrete and grass, was significantly related to not displaying clinical signs of dental disease (Exp(B) = 1.894, Nagelkerke R2 = 0.021, p < 0.05). There was no significant relationship between owner knowledge, guinea pig diet, and dental disease in the study population. This study highlights the importance of access to the outdoors for the health and welfare of guinea pigs in addition to the need for owners to be alert to key clinical signs. A r...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Investigation into the Relationship between Owner Knowledge, Diet, and Dental Disease in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus)

Norman

Wills

2016

Animals

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“…The guinea pig retina is avascular (De Schaepdrijver et al, 1989), which is a substantial difference to the human. Spontaneous glaucoma has not been reported for guinea pigs (Williams and Sullivan, 2010) and it is still uncertain whether or not animals of this species would develop glaucomatous damage after experimental elevation of IOP. A promising novel animal model for glaucoma research may be the tree shrew (family Tupaiidae), a non-rodent, primate-like species (Cao et al, 2003) that has been widely used in myopia research.…”

Section: Animal Models Of Glaucomamentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomechanical aspects of axonal damage in glaucoma: A brief review

Tamm

Ethier

Dowling

et al. 2017

Experimental Eye Research

100

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The biomechanical environment within the optic nerve head (ONH) is complex and is likely directly involved in the loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in glaucoma. Unfortunately, our understanding of this process is poor. Here we describe factors that influence ONH biomechanics, including ONH connective tissue microarchitecture and anatomy; intraocular pressure (IOP); and cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFp). We note that connective tissue factors can vary significantly from one individual to the next, as well as regionally within an eye, and that the understanding of ONH biomechanics is hindered by anatomical differences between small-animal models of glaucoma (rats and mice) and humans. Other challenges of using animal models of glaucoma to study the role of biomechanics include the complexity of assessing the degree of glaucomatous progression; and inadequate tools for monitoring and consistently elevating IOP in animal models. We conclude with a consideration of important open research questions/challenges in this area, including: (i) Creating a systems biology description of the ONH; (ii) addressing the role of astrocyte connective tissue remodeling and reactivity in glaucoma; (iii) providing a better characterization of ONH astrocytes and non-astrocytic constituent cells; (iv) better understanding the role of ONH astrocyte phagocytosis, proliferation and death; (v) collecting gene expression and phenotype data on a larger, more coordinated scale; and (vi) developing an implantable IOP sensor.

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“…In that study, absolute values were also not reported, IOP data being described only in terms of statistical significance of differences between treated and fellow control eyes for given conditions. Two other studies involving guinea pigs made use of applanation tonometers (Coster et al, 2008; Williams and Sullivan, 2010). In the first study using a Tonopen applanation tonometer to measure 100 normal guinea pigs (age unknown), an average IOP of 16.5 ± 3.2 mmHg was reported (Williams and Sullivan, 2010), similar to the mean IOP of our 2 weeks-old animals (17.6 ± 2.6 mmHg), but significantly lower than our mean value for older animals (22.7 ± 2.3 mmHg).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optic nerve head and intraocular pressure in the guinea pig eye

Ostrin

Wildsoet

2016

Experimental Eye Research

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The guinea pig is becoming an increasingly popular model for studying human myopia, which carries an increased risk of glaucoma. As a step towards understanding this association, this study sought to characterize the normal, developmental intraocular pressure (IOP) profiles, as well as the anatomy of the optic nerve head (ONH) and adjacent sclera of young guinea pigs. IOP was tracked in pigmented guinea pigs up to 3 months of age. One guinea pig was imaged in vivo with OCT and one with a fundus camera. The eyes of pigmented and albino guinea pigs (ages 2 months) were enucleated and sections from the posterior segment, including the ONH and surrounding sclera, processed for histological analyses - either hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of paraffin embedded, sectioned tissue (n = 1), or cryostat sectioned tissue, processed for immunohistochemistry (n = 3), using primary antibodies against collagen types I-V, elastin, fibronectin and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM, SEM) studies of ONHs were also undertaken (n = 2 & 5 respectively). Mean IOPs ranged from 17.33 to 22.7 mmHg , increasing slightly across the age range studied, and the IOPs of individual animals also exhibited diurnal variations, peaking in the early morning (mean of 25.8, mmHg, ~9 am), and decreasing across the day. H&E-stained sections showed retinal ganglion cell axons organized into fascicles in the prelaminar and laminar region of the ONHs, with immunostained sections revealing collagen types I, III, IV and V, as well as elastin, GFAP and fibronectin in the ONHs. SEM revealed a well-defined lamina cribrosa (LC), with radially-oriented collagen beams. TEM revealed collagen fibrils surrounding non-myelinated nerve fiber bundles in the LC region, with myelination and decreased collagen posterior to the LC. The adjacent sclera comprised mainly crimped collagen fibers in a crisscross arrangement. Both the sclera and LC were qualitatively similar in structure in pigmented and albino guinea pigs. The well-organized, collagen-based LC of the guinea pig ONH is similar to that described for tree shrews and more similar to the human LC than that of other rodents that lack collagen. Based on these latter structural similarities the guinea pig would seem a promising model for investigating the relationship between myopia and glaucoma.

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Ocular disease in the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus): a survey of 1000 animals

Abstract: This study shows a high proportion of eyes with some degree of abnormality in animals otherwise considered healthy. Information on diseases of the guinea pig eye is important given the use of the species as a laboratory rodent and also the number kept as pets and show animals.

Cited by 43 publications

References 22 publications

An Investigation into the Relationship between Owner Knowledge, Diet, and Dental Disease in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus)

An Investigation into the Relationship between Owner Knowledge, Diet, and Dental Disease in Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus)

Biomechanical aspects of axonal damage in glaucoma: A brief review

Optic nerve head and intraocular pressure in the guinea pig eye

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