Conjunctival bacterial and fungal flora in healthy donkeys in Central Italy

Introduction - The normal eye microflora is composed of several species of fungi and bacteria. If the ocular defense barriers become weak, they can act as pathogens and cause infections. Therefore, characterization of conjunctival normal flora is essential in making diagnosis and treating eye infections. Bacterial and fungal flora of the normal eye has been reported for different mammals but few studies concerning donkeys are available. Aim - To evaluate the bacterial and fungal flora of healthy eyes of donkeys (Equus asinus) reared in three different Areas in Central Italy. Materials and methods - One hundred-fourteen mixed breed donkeys (93 females, 21 males) housed in Marche, Umbria and Lazio Region were included in the study and sampled on the ventral conjunctival fornix. Age ranged between 4 months and 16 years (mean: 7.3 years, SD ± 8.6). Animals were divided into three categories: foals: ≤ 1 year, n = 35; young: 1 < age ≤3 years, n = 9; and adult: ≥ 3 years, n = 70. Results and discussion - Twenty-one different bacteria genus and thirteen fungi/yeasts were isolated. The emergent Kocuria spp. was isolated in 61 cases. None significant effect of gender on bacterial and fungal isolation was observed. Significantly lower bacterial load was recorded in foals than adult donkeys. In relation to the Areas, differences were observed both for bacterial and fungal mean loads. Conclusion - The area in which donkeys are reared seems to be a significant factor influencing the conjunctival bacterial and fungal flora loads. The emerging human pathogen bacteria Kocuria spp. was isolated for the first time in donkeys. In the present study, new important information to facilitate the diagnosis of eye disease in an emergent species like donkeys are provided.