Evaluation of the equine ocular surface microbiome before and after treatment with topical antibiotics. Equus ferus

The objective of this study was to describe the ocular microbiota of healthy horses and determine whether antibiotic therapy results in subsequent changes over time. Twelve adult horses of both sexes from a teaching colony served as subjects. Neomycin-Polymyxin-Bacitracin ophthalmic ointment was applied to the ocular surface of one randomly assigned eye per horse three times daily for 7 days, while the fellow eye served as an untreated control. The ocular surface was sampled for bacteria by swabbing the ventral conjunctival fornix of both eyes at the following time points: days 0 (baseline), 7 and 35.