Lipid keratopathy and atheromatosis in an SPF laboratory rabbit colony attributable to diet

Sporadic cases of corneal opacity occurred in an SPF rabbit colony fed on a diet containing 10% white fishmeal. Routine histological monitoring also revealed atheromatous lesions involving the intima of the aorta, coronary arteries and the arteries of other organs in 29 rabbits examined. Serum cholesterol levels above 10 mmol/l were found in 7 rabbits, including 4 affected with corneal lesions, which proved to be lipid keratopathy on histochemical and electron microscopical examination. The serum cholesterol level was found to be within normal range (below 2·27 mmol/l) in 10 rabbits reared entirely on a modified version of the diet, where the 10% fishmeal content was replaced with 10% grassmeal. No more ocular or atheromatous lesions have been found since the adoption of the new diet for the colony.