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Barrantes Murillo DF, Anderson S, Capobianco C, Lewbart GA, Wiederhold NP, Cañete-Gibas CF, Negrão Watanabe TT. Systemic Exophiala equina infection in an Eastern box turtle ( Terrapene carolina carolina): a case report and literature review. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1158393. [PMID: 37252397 PMCID: PMC10213272 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1158393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Phaeohyphomycosis is an infection caused by melanized fungi. This disease has been reported in several animal species including invertebrates, cold-blooded vertebrates, mammals, and humans. Melanized fungi have similar phenotypical features and confirmation requires culture and molecular diagnostics. To exemplify this we present a case of a 333 g adult of unknown age, free-ranging, male Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) that was referred to the Turtle Rescue Team at North Carolina State University for evaluation of multilobulated masses occupying the entire left orbit and at the right forelimb on the plantarolateral aspect of the foot. A fine needle aspirate cytologic examination of the mass on the right forelimb revealed large numbers of inflammatory cells and fungal organisms. Histopathology of the skin biopsies from the right forefoot was consistent with phaeohyphomycosis. A course of antifungal medication was started (Fluconazole 21 mg/kg loading dose IV then 5 mg/kg PO SID q 30 days). Due to concern for the patient's quality of life and the lack of a curative treatment plan, humane euthanasia was elected. Gross and histological postmortem examination confirmed the presence of multiple coelomic masses similar in appearance to those observed in the left orbit and right forefoot indicating disseminated phaeohyphomycosis. A swab of the periocular mass was submitted for fungal culture and phenotypic identification. The isolate was later identified as Exophiala equina through a combination of phenotypic characterization and sequencing of the ITS region of the nuclear rDNA. Exophiala is a genus in the family Herpotrichiellaceae, order Chaetothyriales and is considered an opportunistic "black yeast" causing infection in aquatic invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals including humans. Exophiala equina is infrequently reported in animals, with only three cases in the literature including the herein report.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephanie Anderson
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Christian Capobianco
- Department of Clinical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Gregory A. Lewbart
- Department of Clinical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Nathan P. Wiederhold
- Fungus Testing Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Connie F. Cañete-Gibas
- Fungus Testing Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Tatiane Terumi Negrão Watanabe
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Antech Diagnostics, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Phaeohyphomycosis due to Exophiala in Aquarium-Housed Lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus): Clinical Diagnosis and Description. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11121401. [PMID: 36558735 PMCID: PMC9784618 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11121401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Phaeohyphomycosis caused by Exophiala species represents an important disease of concern for farmed and aquarium-housed fish. The objective of this study was to summarize the clinical findings and diagnosis of Exophiala infections in aquarium-housed Cyclopterus lumpus. Clinical records and postmortem pathology reports were reviewed for 15 individuals from 5 public aquaria in the United States and Canada from 2007 to 2015. Fish most commonly presented with cutaneous ulcers and progressive clinical decline despite topical or systemic antifungal therapy. Antemortem fungal culture of cutaneous lesions resulted in colonial growth for 7/12 samples from 8 individuals. Amplification of the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) of nuclear rDNA identified Exophiala angulospora or Exophiala aquamarina in four samples from three individuals. Postmortem histopathologic findings were consistent with phaeohyphomycosis, with lesions most commonly found in the integument (11/15), gill (9/15), or kidney (9/15) and evidence of fungal angioinvasion and dissemination. DNA extraction and subsequent ITS sequencing from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of seven individuals identified E. angulospora, E. aquamarina, or Cyphellophora sp. in four individuals. Lesion description, distribution, and Exophiala spp. identifications were similar to those reported in farmed C. lumpus. Antemortem clinical and diagnostic findings of phaeohyphomycosis attributable to several species of Exophiala provide insight on the progression of Exophiala infections in lumpfish that may contribute to management of the species in public aquaria and under culture conditions.
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Hopf C, Graham EA, Gibas CFC, Sanders C, Mele J, Fan H, Garner MM, Wiederhold NP, Ossiboff R, Abou-Madi N. A Novel Exophiala Species Associated With Disseminated Granulomatous Inflammation in a Captive Eastern Hellbender ( Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis). Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:25. [PMID: 32083105 PMCID: PMC7004953 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The genus Exophiala is composed of ubiquitous, pigmented, saprotrophic fungi and includes both terrestrial and waterborne species. Though Exophiala species are generally considered opportunistic pathogens, exophialosis can be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in aquatic and semi-aquatic species. Over a 6-year period, a captive 32-year-old male eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis), was treated for recurring, slow growing, ventral midline cutaneous masses. Excisional biopsies were characterized histologically by granulomatous dermatitis with low numbers of intralesional, pigmented fungal conidia and hyphae. Bacterial and fungal cultures of the masses and skin were negative on two separate submissions. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of a short fragment of the fungal 28S large subunit (LSU) ribosomal RNA was positive with 100% nucleotide sequence identity to several species of Exophiala. Following recurrence after successive rounds of antifungal therapy, euthanasia was elected. At necropsy, similar dermal granulomatous inflammation and intralesional pigmented fungal elements as observed in excisional biopsies formed a thick band in the dermis and extended through the coelomic body wall. Visceral dissemination was noted in the lung and kidney. Postmortem DNA sequence analysis of a large portion of the fungal LSU as well as the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) from a portion of frozen affected dermis identified the fungus as a novel species, Exophiala sp. 1 (UTHSCSA R-5437).
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Hopf
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Erin A. Graham
- Department of Comparative Diagnostic and Population Medicine, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Connie F. C. Gibas
- Fungus Testing Laboratory & Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Carmita Sanders
- Fungus Testing Laboratory & Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - James Mele
- Fungus Testing Laboratory & Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Hongxin Fan
- Department of Comparative Diagnostic and Population Medicine, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | | | - Nathan P. Wiederhold
- Fungus Testing Laboratory & Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Robert Ossiboff
- Department of Comparative Diagnostic and Population Medicine, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL, United States
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Noha Abou-Madi
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY, United States
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Wang Y, Sen K, He Y, Xie Y, Wang G. Impact of environmental gradients on the abundance and diversity of planktonic fungi across coastal habitats of contrasting trophic status. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 683:822-833. [PMID: 31154160 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Fungal communities in the coastal waters have long been known to be dynamic with a significant role in organic matter cycling. However, the effects of environmental gradients on their community structures are poorly described. Here we studied three coastal sites off the South China Sea, namely Pearl River Estuary (PE), Shenzhen Bay (SB), and Daya Bay (DB) with contrasting trophic status and heterogenous local influences. Environmental analysis of these sites suggested higher nutrient and low salinity levels at PE and SB with wide variability compared to DB. Average molecular abundances (18S rRNA gene copy numbers) at sites PE (1.05 ± 0.27 × 107 copies L-1) and SB (1.2 ± 0.69 × 107 copies L-1) were similar and significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that at site DB (5.5 ± 9.5 × 105 copies L-1). Although planktonic fungi were molecularly abundant at the three sites, live fungal biomass based on ergosterol assay was detected only at some stations of PE and SB. Both molecular abundance and live biomass were significantly correlated with chemical oxygen demand, nutrients, and phytoplankton biomass, supporting their role in detritus turnover. The fungal communities were unprecedently diverse with the ubiquitous dominance of Dikarya and the occasional predominance of Glomeromycota, Mucoromycota, Mortierellomycota, and Chytridiomycota. A total of 24 classes, 46 orders, 71 families, 59 genera, and eight species were classified within the eight detected phyla, including the new finding of ascomycetous class Geoglossomycetes in coastal waters. Salinity and nitrate were the significant (r2 = 0.70, P < 0.05) factors that determined the β-diversity of fungal communities. Overall, this study suggests that although planktonic fungi are ubiquitous in coastal habitats, their molecular abundances and diversities (both α and β) are significantly determined by environmental gradients, particularly the salinity, COD and nitrate levels of coastal waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqiong Wang
- Center for Marine Environmental Ecology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; School of Ecology, Environment and Resources, Qinghai University for Nationalities, Xining, Qinghai 810007, China
| | - Kalyani Sen
- Center for Marine Environmental Ecology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yaodong He
- Center for Marine Environmental Ecology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Yunxuan Xie
- Center for Marine Environmental Ecology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
| | - Guangyi Wang
- Center for Marine Environmental Ecology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
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Meyers TR, Ferguson J, Bentz C, Burton T. Opportunistic phaeohyphomycoses in wild saffron cod Eleginus gracilis from waterways of Norton Sound and Toksook Bay, Alaska, USA. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2019; 135:211-226. [PMID: 31486413 DOI: 10.3354/dao03393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
These case reports describe locally invasive black pigmented mycotic infections of the skin and gills of saffron cod Eleginus gracilis associated with 8 different opportunistic ascomycete fungi: Alternaria sp., Cladosporium herbarum, Chaetomium globosum, Cadophora luteo-olivacea, Penicillium sp., Phoma herbarum, Pseudophacidium ledi and Valsa sordida. These fungi were isolated on conventional media, identified according to morphological structures and confirmed by genetic sequencing. Several of these fungi are primary plant pathogens as well as opportunistic human pathogens in immunocompromised individuals. Several have also been described as causing opportunistic infections of fish. This case material represents the first report of C. luteo-olivacea, C. globosum, P. ledi and V. sordida as likely opportunistic fish pathogens in Alaskan watersheds of Norton Sound and south in Toksook Bay and possibly elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore R Meyers
- Department of Fish and Game, Commercial Fisheries Division, Juneau Fish Pathology Laboratory, PO Box 115526, Juneau, Alaska 99811-5526, USA
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Saraiva M, Beckmann MJ, Pflaum S, Pearson M, Carcajona D, Treasurer JW, van West P. Exophiala angulospora infection in hatchery-reared lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) broodstock. JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES 2019; 42:335-343. [PMID: 30632621 PMCID: PMC6378594 DOI: 10.1111/jfd.12940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Samples from moribund lumpfish were collected in a marine hatchery in Scotland in 2015. Black nodules were noted on the skin, and gills and fungal hyphae were extensively distributed in musculature and internal organs. Multifocal chronic inflammatory lesions displaced structures in all affected organs. Mortalities commenced on completion of spawning in May and were evenly distributed over the second year in the temperature range 11-15°C. The main systemic infection causing agent was initially identified based on morphological characteristics as an Exophiala species. Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) ITS regions of the isolates were subsequently sequenced confirming the isolates belonged to Exophiala genus. All isolates fell in a single phylogenetic cluster, which is represented by Exophiala angulospora. Fish were treated with either formalin or Bronopol or a combination of both, but there was no effect on the pattern or numbers of mortalities. Isolates were also tested against three different concentrations of Latrunculin A, Amphotericin B and Itraconazole with no success. It is of utmost importance to increase the knowledge on pathogen-host interactions to successfully develop sustainable control methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcia Saraiva
- Aberdeen Oomycete Laboratory, International Centre for Aquaculture Research and DevelopmentInstitute of Medical SciencesForesterhill, AberdeenUK
| | - Max J. Beckmann
- Aberdeen Oomycete Laboratory, International Centre for Aquaculture Research and DevelopmentInstitute of Medical SciencesForesterhill, AberdeenUK
| | | | | | | | | | - Pieter van West
- Aberdeen Oomycete Laboratory, International Centre for Aquaculture Research and DevelopmentInstitute of Medical SciencesForesterhill, AberdeenUK
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Neck S, Jurgens B, Peters L, Ankringa N. Exophiala phaeomuriformis
associated with abortion and placentitis in a mare. VETERINARY RECORD CASE REPORTS 2018. [DOI: 10.1136/vetreccr-2017-000584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Neck
- Department of PathobiologyFaculty of Veterinary MedicineUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | - Ben Jurgens
- Department of PathobiologyFaculty of Veterinary MedicineUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
| | | | - Nynke Ankringa
- Department of PathobiologyFaculty of Veterinary MedicineUtrecht UniversityUtrechtThe Netherlands
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