Atypical Dermatophytosis in 12 North American Porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) from the Northeastern United States 2010–2017

Pathogens

NicholasJ. Marra¹  BryceJ. Stanhope¹  AnilJ. Thachil¹  LauraB. Goodman¹  Derek Rothenheber¹  NicholasA. Hollingshead¹  Shelley Spanswick²  IngaF. Sidor³  Robert Gibson³  DavidB. Needle³  BrianA. Stevens³  JulieC. Ellis⁴  Maureen Murray⁵ 

[1] Animal Health Diagnostic Center, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA;Center for Wildlife, Cape Neddick, ME 03902, USA;New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA;Northeast Wildlife Disease Cooperative, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Grafton, MA 01536, USA;Wildlife Clinic, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Grafton, MA 01536, USA;

关键词: dermatophyte;    porcupine;    erethizon;    fungus;    metagenomics;    fungal genetics;    molecular diagnostics;   

DOI  :  10.3390/pathogens8040171

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Twelve wild North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) out of a total of 44 of this species examined in an 8-year period were diagnosed with dermatopathies while being cared for at two wildlife rehabilitation clinics. Biopsy and necropsy were performed on seven and five animals, respectively. Atypical dermatophytosis was diagnosed in all cases. Lesions consisted of diffuse severe epidermal hyperkeratosis and mild hyperplasia with mild lymphoplasmacytic dermatitis and no folliculitis. Dermatophytes were noted histologically as hyphae and spores in hair shafts, and follicular and epidermal keratin. Trichophyton sp. was grown in 5/6 animals where culture was performed, with a molecular diagnosis of Arthroderma benhamiae/Trichophyton mentagrophytes in these five cases. Metagenomic analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from three cases identified fungi from 17 orders in phyla Basidiomycota and Ascomycota. Alteration of therapy from ketaconazole, which was unsuccessful in four out of five early cases, to terbinafine or nitraconazole led to the resolution of disease and recovery to release in four subsequent animals. In all, six animals were euthanized or died due to dermatopathy, no cases resolved spontaneously, and six cases were resolved with therapy. The work we present demonstrates an atypical lesion and anatomical distribution due to dermatophytosis in a series of free-ranging wild porcupines and the successful development of novel techniques for extracting and sequencing nucleic acids from fungus in archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded animal tissue.

【 授权许可】

Unknown