title: Cataracts in a laboratory colony of ferrets.
abstract: Cataracts were found by use of slit-lamp biomicroscopy in two genetically unrelated ferret populations (A and B). When they were initially examined at the age of 11 to 12 months, 34 of 73 ferrets (46.6%) in population A had lens opacities, which could be categorized into one of three groups. Group-1 ferrets (n = 25) manifested a continuum of lens changes ranging from fine, multifocal, punctate opacification of the superficial posterior lens cortex (n = 3), to changes in both the anterior and posterior cortex (n = 13), to immature (n = 1), or mature/hypermature cataracts (n = 8). Group-2 ferrets (n = 7) had bilateral microphthalmia and cataracts. Group-3 ferrets (n = 2) had minor lens changes involving the nucleus or cortex that were not typical of either group 1 or 2. By the age of 18 months, 41 of the remaining 42 animals in population A had developed fine, multifocal, punctate opacities of the posterior cortex. In group-1 animals, histologic changes in the lens ranged from several 80 x 40-microns, punctate, spheroidal lesions in the posterior cortex, to posterior migration of the lens epithelium, Morganian granules, and a complete mature/hypermature cataract. One group-2 ferret had microphthalmia, filling of the lens capsule with a cell-poor, periodic acid-Schiff stain-positive membranous material, and retinal detachment. Population B consisted of 15 adult and 47 6-month-old juvenile ferrets. Eleven adults had multifocal, fine, punctate, posterior cortical opacities, and one adult had a nuclear cataract.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison 53706.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Marlar
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Dubielzig
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory; D002386:Cataract / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D005289:Ferrets; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D008297:Male