Abstract
The medical records of 45 cases (56 eyes) of feline eosinophilic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) diagnosed between 2005 and 2011 were reviewed. Cats were included if a clinical diagnosis of EKC was recorded and eosinophils were found on corneal cytology. Median age at presentation was 5 years (interquartiles 5-9 years) for both males and females. Domestic shorthair was the predominant breed, accounting for 77.8% of the cats. The condition was unilateral in 75.6% of cases, with the superotemporal quadrant of the cornea the most frequently affected position (76.8% of eyes). A history of corneal ulceration was recorded in 37.8% of cases, and corneal ulcers were present at or before diagnosis in 66.7% of the cats. Eosinophils were found in 92.0% of conjunctival scrapings. We performed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) for 33/45 cats. Viral DNA was detected in 54.5% of these cats. FHV-1 DNA was detected by PCR in 66.7% of cats with a history and/or presence of a corneal ulcer at first presentation, which is significantly more than those with no corneal ulcer at any time (22.2% FHV-1 DNA detected). Our findings suggest that a corneal ulcer can be present prior to the development of eosinophilic keratitis. Further studies are mandatory to explore the role that FHV-1 could play in EKC-associated corneal ulceration.