Feline ocular chlamydiosis: clinical and microbiological effects of topical and systemic therapy.

Conjunctival swabs taken from a two-month-old kitten showing ocular discharge were found to be positive for Chlamydophila felis by PCR and isolation. The cat was treated with topical 1% tetracycline ophthalmic ointment twice a day for 60 days. At the end of the treatment, the cat showed no ocular signs and conjunctival swabs resulted PCR and isolation negative for C. felis. Forty days later, the ocular discharge recurred and C. felis was isolated from conjunctival swabs taken from both the cat's eyes. Twenty days of doxycycline systemic treatment at 10 mg/kg once daily was started. The treatment resulted in a complete clinical recovery after a few days. C. felis was not isolated or amplified on the 10 t h day after beginning the treatment. The cat's conjunctival swabs were also PCR and isolation negative on the 10 t h , 30 t h , 60 t h , 90 t h , 120 t h and 240 t h days after the end of therapy.