Phaeohyphomycosis resulting in obstructive tracheitis in three green sea turtles Chelonia mydas stranded along the Florida coast

Three wild immature green sea turtles Chelonia mydas were found alive but lethargic on the shores of the Indian River Lagoon and Gulf of Mexico in Florida, USA, and subsequently died. Necropsy findings in all 3 turtles included partial occlusion of the trachea by a mass comprised of granulomatous in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diseases of aquatic organisms 2015-04, Vol.113 (3), p.257-262
Main Authors: Donnelly, Kyle, Waltzek, Thomas B, Wellehan, Jr, James F X, Sutton, Deanna A, Wiederhold, Nathan P, Stacy, Brian A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Chelonia mydas
Cladosporium
Cochliobolus
Fatal Outcome
Female
Florida - epidemiology
Phaeohyphomycosis - epidemiology
Phaeohyphomycosis - pathology
Phaeohyphomycosis - veterinary
Tracheitis - epidemiology
Tracheitis - pathology
Tracheitis - veterinary
Turtles - microbiology
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Summary:Three wild immature green sea turtles Chelonia mydas were found alive but lethargic on the shores of the Indian River Lagoon and Gulf of Mexico in Florida, USA, and subsequently died. Necropsy findings in all 3 turtles included partial occlusion of the trachea by a mass comprised of granulomatous inflammation. Pigmented fungal hyphae were observed within the lesion by histology and were characterized by culture and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 2 domain of the rRNA gene and D1/D2 region of the fungal 28s gene. The dematiaceous fungus species Veronaea botryosa was isolated from the tracheal mass in 2 cases, and genetic sequence of V. botryosa was detected by polymerase chain reaction in all 3 cases. Genetic sequencing and fungal cultures also detected other dematiaceous fungi, including a Cladosporium sp., an Ochroconis sp., and a Cochliobolus sp. These cases are the first report of phaeohyphomycosis caused by V. botryosa in wild marine animals.
ISSN:0177-5103
1616-1580
DOI:10.3354/dao02843