Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ocular Halicephalobus (syn. Micronema) deletrix in a horse.
- Journal:
- Veterinary pathology
- Year:
- 1995
- Authors:
- Rames, D S et al.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A horse had a serious eye condition called unilateral uveitis, which means one eye was very inflamed, lasting for about four weeks. After surgery to remove the affected eye tissue and place a prosthetic eye, the horse started showing signs of neurological problems, which got worse over time. Sadly, the horse was put to sleep after tests revealed a severe brain infection caused by a parasite called Halicephalobus deletrix, which had spread from the eye to the brain. This case is notable because it's the first time this parasite has been found in the eye of a horse, indicating it can spread from there to other parts of the body. Unfortunately, the treatment did not work, and the horse was euthanized.
Abstract
Ocular contents from a horse with a 4-week history of severe unilateral uveitis were submitted for histopathologic examination. A severe unilateral granulomatous chorioretinitis with intralesional Halicephalobus deletrix was diagnosed. The horse developed progressive neurologic signs several days following the surgery to remove ocular contents and implant a prosthesis and was subsequently euthanatized. A severe multifocal granulomatous encephalitis with intralesional H. deletrix, localized primarily to the optic chiasm, thalamus, and brain stem, was diagnosed from tissues acquired at necropsy. The other eye was not affected. This is the first report of ocular parasitism by H. deletrix and suggests possible systemic dissemination from a primary site in the eye.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8578647/