title: Phaeohyphomycoses in a free-ranging loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) from Southern Brazil.
abstract: This report describes the occurrence of mycotic infection in a loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, found on Mostardas beach in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. The specimen was observed alive, emaciated, and died the following day. A necropsy was performed soon after death and tissue samples routinely processed for histopathological and molecular evaluation. Significant pathological alterations included multifocal to coalescing, 0.5-4 cm in diameter nodules were observed throughout the peritoneum and kidneys that revealed caseous, grayish content when sectioned; histopathological evaluation revealed severe peritonitis and nephritis associated with intralesional fungi. Fungal PCR that targeted the internal transcribed spacer region of fungi revealed three different species of fungi: Cladosporium cladosporioides and Alternata arborescens within the kidneys while Ampelomyces sp. was identified within peritoneal granulomas. C. cladosporioides and A. arborescens are melanized fungi that produce phaeohyphomycosis in a wide range of species. However, the importance of the identification of the mycoparasite Ampelomyces sp. DNA within the peritoneal granulomas remains unclear.
authors.affiliation: Laboratories of Animal Pathology, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rod. Celso Garcia Cid, Km 380, CP 6001, 86051-990, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil, isabela.guarnier@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Isabela Guarnier
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Domiciano
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Domit
authors.forename: Cariane Campos
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Trigo
authors.forename: Brígida K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: de Alcântara
authors.forename: Selwyn A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Headley
authors.forename: Ana Paula F R L
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Bracarense
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001938:Brazil; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008853:Microscopy; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009393:Nephritis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D010537:Peritoneum / Q000473:pathology; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D060446:Phaeohyphomycosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014426:Turtles / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer