An Ocular Manifestation of a Systemic Disease With Encephalitozoon Pogonae in a Juvenile Central Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps).

E. pogonae causes ocular and systemic disease in bearded dragons; consider microsporidiosis in refractory reptile ocular disease.

This case report documents the first detailed ocular manifestation of Encephalitozoon pogonae in a 6-month-old male Central bearded dragon presenting with unilateral blepharoconjunctivitis. The patient underwent comprehensive diagnostic evaluation including physical examination, ophthalmic assessment, high-frequency ultrasound imaging, conjunctival cytology, and histopathological analysis with PCR confirmation of E. pogonae in liver and conjunctival tissues. Despite treatment with topical ofloxacin, systemic meloxicam, and ceftazidime, the animal developed systemic complications including hemopericardium and died. Necropsy revealed severe granulomatous inflammation affecting multiple organs (liver, intestines, conjunctiva, and uveal tissue), hypermature cataracts, and phacoclastic uveitis. This case represents E. pogonae as an emerging pathogen in reptiles, distinct from E. cuniculi in rabbits. The findings emphasize the critical importance of including microsporidial infections in differential diagnoses for refractory ocular disease in reptiles and highlight significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges associated with these infections in exotic animal medicine.

This summary was distilled by AI and may occasionally misinterpret data. Confirm critical details with the primary literature before clinical application.