title: Ulcerative keratitis associated with qualitative tear film abnormalities in cats.
abstract: Three cats with indolent corneal ulcers and one cat with bilateral corneal sequestration and normal aqueous tear production were found to have rapid tear break-up times (BUTs). Tear BUTs in clinically affected cats averaged 2.5 +/- 1.29 s and 2.33 +/- 0.58 s for the right and left eyes, respectively. Palpebral conjunctival biopsies were harvested from consistent sites from each eye of affected cats (n = 7 affected eyes), and age-and breed-matched controls (n = 2 unaffected eyes). Light microscopy revealed a marked decrease to complete absence of conjunctival goblet cells (average goblet cell (GC):epithelial cell (EC) density = 18:50), conjunctival epithelial dysplasia, squamous metaplasia, and neutrophilic and mononuclear cell submucosal infiltration in affected cats. Specimens from the control cats had an average GC:EC density of 34:50, and minimal submucosal inflammatory infiltrate. The corneas (n = 7 eyes) healed following surgical keratectomy with (n = 2 eyes) or without (n = 1 eye) conjunctival pedicle flaps, superficial keratectomy and striate keratotomy with (n = 2 eyes) or without (n = 2 eyes) third eyelid flaps, and mucinomimetic tear supplementation (n = 5 eyes). Goblet cell regeneration was confirmed after 5 months of mucinomimetic supplementation (n = 2 eyes). The etiology for these mucin deficiencies remains unknown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada; Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada. Current address: Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, 1175 ADDL, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA; Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada.
authors.forename: C.L.
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Cullen
authors.forename: B.L.
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Njaa
authors.forename: B.H.
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Grahn