title: Cerebral and Ocular Ochroconiasis in 2 Elegant Crested Tinamou (Eudromia elegans) Chicks.
abstract: Two elegant crested tinamou chicks (Eudromia elegans), aged 27 and 50 days, respectively, died following acute onset of weakness and neurologic disease. Microscopically, the cerebral hemispheres of both chicks and the optic lobes of 1 chick contained multifocal granulomatous and heterophilic inflammation and necrosis with intralesional pigmented, thin-walled, fungal hyphae. In 1 chick, hyphae extended along the optic nerve into the globe and were associated with severe granulomatous and heterophilic inflammation of the choroid, retina, pecten, and vitreous. In both chicks, polymerase chain reaction amplification of the fungal 28S large subunit ribosomal RNA was positive with 99% sequence identity to Ochroconis gallopava. While a well-characterized fungal infection of domestic poultry, ochroconiasis has rarely been reported in exotic avian species, and this is the first histologic characterization of ocular ochroconiasis in any avian species.
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program, Bronx, NY, USA rjo23@cornell.edu.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ossiboff
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Clancy
authors.affiliation: Zoological Pathology Program, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Maywood, IL, USA.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Terio
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Conley
authors.affiliation: Wildlife Conservation Society, Zoological Health Program, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McAloose
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001203:Ascomycota / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001717:Birds; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D005123:Eye / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D007249:Inflammation / Q000662:veterinary; D009181:Mycoses / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009336:Necrosis / Q000662:veterinary
keywords: Dactylaria; Eudromia; Ochroconis gallopava; avian; encephalitis; ochroconiasis; ophthalmitis; tinamou