title: Keratoconus in a cynomolgus monkey.
abstract: In a seven-year-old male cynomolgus monkey, erythema of the upper eyelid and forehead and corneal opacity, edema and conical protrusion in the eye were observed. At necropsy, ophthalmological and serological examinations revealed binocular corneal opacity and conical protrusion and a high IgE level, respectively. Thinning of the epithelium and stroma of the cornea were noted histopathologically. At the center of the corneal epithelium, the number of epithelial cells was reduced, their cytoplasm was poorer and the basal cells were flatter than at the periphery. Bowman's membrane was folded with partial loss or breakage. Collagen fibers were compacted or disarranged, and the keratocytes were increased in the stroma, with focal pyknosis or loss of the endothelium and folding of Descemet's membrane. Electron microscopical examination revealed atrophy of the corneal epithelial basal cells. This is the first report of a case of keratoconus in a cynomolgus monkey.
authors.affiliation: Drug Safety Research Laboratories, Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories, Ltd., 2438 Miyanoura, Kagoshima 891-1394, Japan.
authors.forename: Rinya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.forename: Xiuying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Tomoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Shuichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwashige
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanigawa
authors.forename: Mie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uchimura
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishimaru
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamimura
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maeda