Zeitschrift für Biodiversität und gefährdete Arten

Clinical case report of unilateral idiopathic keratitis in a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

Abstract

María A. Sepúlveda G, Adriana P. Rojas R, Néstor I. Monroy O, Liliana Serrano B, Karen A. López R

Keratitis also called corneal ulcer is inflammation of the cornea, an ocular disorder that can lead to severe visual impairment and requires prompt diagnosis and treatment to avoid complex sequelae that can range from corneal opacity to corneal scarring, perforation, endophthalmitis and loss of the eye. Ulcer types are classified into superficial ulcer, deep ulcer, neurotrophic ulcer, perforating ulcer and corneal erosion. The objective of this work is to describe the clinical case of an adult female bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) that was under human care belonging to the company Delphinus, which presented symptoms such as blepharitis and closed eye, characteristic symptoms of keratitis, confirming the diagnosis in this specimen was a challenge due to the retraction of the eye, however, The treatments used for this condition ranged from antibiotics and anti-inflammatories to alternative procedures such as the use of plasma rich in growth factors and ophthalmic ozone. With the latter, recovery of the integrity of the corneal epithelium and a minimal formation of scar tissue was observed; the definitive diagnosis was confirmed once the specimen opened its eye.