Evidence Base for Treatment of Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis

Not all cattle with infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK) are treated. The selflimiting tendency of the disease means the benefit of treating affected animals is questioned.' It has been estimated up to 50% of IBK cases in Australia are not treated2; however, IBK is painful,3 and the possibility of severe outcomes increases without intervention, so treatment is recommended. Furthermore a systematic review and meta-analysis of the antibiotic treatment for IBK found treatment to be more effective than no treatment and results strongly indicated antibiotics of many kinds improved healing compared with placebo.' This is in keeping with ophthalmic principles, for conjunctivitis an antibacterial is appropriate, whereas treatment of IBK keratitis, an infected and therefore by definition a complicated corneal ulcer, involves treating the bacterial infection and any uveitis.4 Major considerations in treating IBK is whether medication will reach site of infection, have efficacy with a limited number of treatments, and is approved for use in

Automated summary

Not all cattle with IBK are treated due to the self-limiting nature of the disease, but treatment is recommended as it can prevent severe outcomes. Antibiotic treatment has been found to be more effective than no treatment in healing IBK, especially in cases of bacterial infection and potential complications.