Comparison of entropion outcome with and without intervention in Romane and Ile de France sheep breeds

Abstract

Abstract Background Congenital entropion is the most frequent ocular disorder in newborn lambs of certain sheep breeds, which, if not treated, can result in complete blindness and death due to starvation. Objectives The aims of this study were to compare the spontaneous healing of entropion in two breeds and assess the outcome of cases with and without therapeutic intervention. Methods A total of 158 entropion cases (119 Ile de France and 39 Romane) were investigated, and swab samples were collected from the cornea and conjunctiva of 73 of the affected lambs for bacteriological investigation. In addition, an ocular intervention was carried out in 123 affected animals. Results The Romane breed developed entropion at an average age of 7 days compared to the Ile de France, which developed it at an average age of 1 day. Likewise, significant differences were found between bilateral and unilateral involvement in both breeds. Meanwhile, 22.1% of cases recovered spontaneously, and the highest rate of spontaneous recovery without intervention was observed in the Romane breed (66%). Bacteria isolated from ocular samples included Staphylococcus spp. (42.5%), Bacillus spp. (21.9%), Trueperella pyogenes (13.7%), Corynebacterium spp. (12.3%) and Escherichia coli (9.6%). Conclusions The results of the study showed that the onset time of entropion, bilateral involvement, the severity of the process and the need for re‐treatment were higher in the Ile de France breed than in the Romane breed. Likewise, the Romane breed showed a higher degree of spontaneous recovery of entropion.

Keywords

• entropion
• Ile de France
• Iran
• Lamb
• Romane