Lens-anomalies and other ophthalmic findings in a group of closely-related angola lions (Panthera leo bleyenberghi)
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
2006 |
Authors: |
Andrea Steinmetz, Klaus Eulenberger, Jens Thielebein, Sarah Buschatz, Andreas Bernhard, Albrecht Wilsdorf, Ron Ofri |
Publication/Journal: |
Zoo Biology |
Publisher: |
A Wiley Company, Inc., Wiley Subscription Services |
Keywords: |
breeding, cataract, eye, inheritance, katanga lion, nutrition |
ISBN: |
1098-2361 |
Abstract:
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20094.abs After the diagnosis of bilateral, immature, nuclear, and posterior cortical cataracts in one Angola lioness, and because of the possible implications of the cataracts for a breeding program, complete ophthalmic examinations on a group of related adult Angola lions and their offspring were carried out. Five adult lions, ranging in age from 1.5–5.5 years, and five lion cubs were studied clinically. The examination included slit-lamp biomicroscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and photography. The eyes of three of the offspring were submitted for histopathologic examination and examined by light microscopy. The most significant findings were cataracts of various stages, which were observed in four adult lions and one male cub. Mild lenticular abnormalities were noted in the histopathologic examination of the lion cubs’ eyes. Additional ophthalmic findings, of lesser clinical consequence, were also noted. This breeding program would benefit from further investigation by animal nutritionists and geneticists, and the animals in this group should undergo periodic ophthalmologic examinations. Zoo Biol 0:1–7, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.