title: Encephalitozoonosis in 2 South American Fur Seal (Arctocephalus australis) Pups.
abstract: Cerebral and disseminated encephalitozoonosis was diagnosed by histopathology, electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry in 2 free-ranging South American fur seal pups found dead at Guafo Island (43°33'S 74°49'W) in southern Chile. In the brain, lesions were characterized by random foci of necrosis with large numbers of macrophages containing numerous microsporidial organisms within parasitophorous vacuoles. In addition, occasional histiocytes loaded with numerous mature and immature microsporidia spores consistent with Encephalitozoon sp were observed in pulmonary alveolar septa, splenic red pulp, glomerular capillaries, and proximal renal tubules by Gram and immunohistochemical stains. To our knowledge, microsporidial infection in a marine mammal species has not been previously reported.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA mseguel@uga.edu.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seguel
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Howerth
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Pathology Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ritter
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Pathology, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Paredes
authors.affiliation: Zoological Pathology Program, University of Illinois, Maywood, IL, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Colegrove
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gottdenker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016890:Encephalitozoonosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D046069:Fur Seals / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D016814:Microsporidia / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: Encephalitozoon; encephalitis; fur seal; marine mammal; microsporidia