Canine glaucoma and Helicobacter spp. infection: a possible relationship

Abstract

The ocular system in domestic animals is very complex and delicate, and composed for the eyeball and ocular adnexal. Disorders that affect the balance between production and outflow of aqueous humor can result in variations in intraocular pressure and glaucoma. Syndrome glaucomatous presents approximately 0.5% incidence in dogs and is a leading cause of blindness, eye pain and surgeries for enucleation. The secondary glaucoma are frequent and result of uveitis by bacteria of the genus Brucella, Leptospira, Ehrlichia, and other etiologic agents. In humans, the bacteria of the genus Helicobacter has attracted the attention of ophthalmologists because potentially operate in the pathogenesis of several eye problems, including glaucoma. In dogs, there are no studies that correlate the origin of glaucoma or secondary uveitis to bacteria of the genus Helicobacter. Whereas uveitis with unknown cause in dogs is very common and proven association between bacteria of the genus Helicobacter and this condition in humans, increases the importance of studies that evaluate these aspects also in pets, helping the understanding of pathogenesis and resulting in proposing therapeutic protocols most effective for glaucoma patients.

Keywords

• Uveitis; Pathogenesis; Helicobacteria; H. pylori