Mycoses in Wildlife

A special issue of Journal of Fungi (ISSN 2309-608X). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Pathogenesis and Disease Control".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2021) | Viewed by 19888

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Parasitology, Mycology and Dermatology, Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d’Alfort, EA Dynamyc, UPEC, EnvA, USC Anses, 94704 Maisons-Alfort, France
Interests: diversity of fungal pathogens in animals; diagnosis and treatment of mycoses in domestic and wild animals; entomopathogenic fungi

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the past, pathogenic fungi were not recognized as posing major threats to wildlife health and biodiversity. This perception drastically changed in the last decades owing to the occurrence of several high-profile declines in wildlife caused by the emergence of previously unknown fungi such as Batrachochytridium spp. or Pseudogymnoascus destructans. This Special Issue is designed to highlight some of the latest results concerning the epidemiology, the physiopathology or the control of major mycoses in wildlife. Special topics will include chytridiomycosis in amphibians, white nose syndrome in hibernating bats, aspergillosis in wild birds, infections due to dimorphic fungi in wildlife, cutaneous fungal infections in snakes and phaeohyphomycosis in crabs. Authors are specifically chosen as experts in those subjects, who are actively researching these topics and leading the charge to improve the current knowledge about mycoses in wildlife.

Prof. Dr. Jacques Guillot
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Wildlife
  • Mycoses
  • Epidemiology
  • Physiopathology
  • Emerging diseases

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 4772 KiB  
Article
Detection and Control of Dermatophytosis in Wild European Hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) Admitted to a French Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
by Cécile Le Barzic, Adela Cmokova, Chloé Denaes, Pascal Arné, Vit Hubka, Jacques Guillot and Veronica Risco-Castillo
J. Fungi 2021, 7(2), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof7020074 - 21 Jan 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4123
Abstract
The rising number of European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) admitted every year to wildlife rehabilitation centres might be a source of concern to animal and public health since transmissible diseases, such as dermatophytosis, can be easily disseminated. This study seeks to evaluate [...] Read more.
The rising number of European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) admitted every year to wildlife rehabilitation centres might be a source of concern to animal and public health since transmissible diseases, such as dermatophytosis, can be easily disseminated. This study seeks to evaluate the frequency of dermatophyte detection in hedgehogs admitted to a wildlife rehabilitation centre located near Paris, France, and to assess the risk of contamination in the centre in order to adapt prevention measures. A longitudinal cohort study was performed on 412 hedgehogs hosted at the Wildlife Animal Hospital of the Veterinary College of Alfort from January to December 2016. Animals were sampled once a month for fungal culture. Dermatophyte colonies were obtained from 174 out of 686 skin samples (25.4%). Besides Trichophyton erinacei, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Nannizzia gypsea were also found. Dermatophyte detection seemed to be associated with the presence of skin lesions, while more than one-third of T. erinacei-positive animals were asymptomatic carriers. Healing required several months of treatment with topical and systemic azoles, but dermatophytosis did not seem to reduce the probability of release. Daily disinfection procedures and early detection and treatment of infected and asymptomatic carriers succeeded in limiting dermatophyte transmission between hedgehogs and humans. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycoses in Wildlife)
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10 pages, 1344 KiB  
Article
Landscape Connectivity Limits the Predicted Impact of Fungal Pathogen Invasion
by Zhimin Li, An Martel, Sergé Bogaerts, Bayram Göçmen, Panayiotis Pafilis, Petros Lymberakis, Tonnie Woeltjes, Michael Veith and Frank Pasmans
J. Fungi 2020, 6(4), 205; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof6040205 - 3 Oct 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3316
Abstract
Infectious diseases are major drivers of biodiversity loss. The risk of fungal diseases to the survival of threatened animals in nature is determined by a complex interplay between host, pathogen and environment. We here predict the risk of invasion of populations of threatened [...] Read more.
Infectious diseases are major drivers of biodiversity loss. The risk of fungal diseases to the survival of threatened animals in nature is determined by a complex interplay between host, pathogen and environment. We here predict the risk of invasion of populations of threatened Mediterranean salamanders of the genus Lyciasalamandra by the pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans by combining field sampling and lab trials. In 494 samples across all seven species of Lyciasalamandra, B. salamandrivorans was found to be absent. Single exposure to a low (1000) number of fungal zoospores resulted in fast buildup of lethal infections in three L. helverseni. Thermal preference of the salamanders was well within the thermal envelope of the pathogen and body temperatures never exceeded the fungus’ thermal critical maximum, limiting the salamanders’ defense opportunities. The relatively low thermal host preference largely invalidates macroclimatic based habitat suitability predictions and, combined with current pathogen absence and high host densities, suggests a high probability of local salamander population declines upon invasion by B. salamandrivorans. However, the unfavorable landscape that shaped intraspecific host genetic diversity, lack of known alternative hosts and rapid host mortality after infection present barriers to further, natural pathogen dispersal between populations and thus species extinction. The risk of anthropogenic spread stresses the importance of biosecurity in amphibian habitats. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycoses in Wildlife)
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Review

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30 pages, 5307 KiB  
Review
Aspergillosis in Wild Birds
by Pascal Arné, Veronica Risco-Castillo, Grégory Jouvion, Cécile Le Barzic and Jacques Guillot
J. Fungi 2021, 7(3), 241; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof7030241 - 23 Mar 2021
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 7184
Abstract
The ubiquitous fungi belonging to the genus Aspergillus are able to proliferate in a large number of environments on organic substrates. The spores of these opportunistic pathogens, when inhaled, can cause serious and often fatal infections in a wide variety of captive and [...] Read more.
The ubiquitous fungi belonging to the genus Aspergillus are able to proliferate in a large number of environments on organic substrates. The spores of these opportunistic pathogens, when inhaled, can cause serious and often fatal infections in a wide variety of captive and free-roaming wild birds. The relative importance of innate immunity and the level of exposure in the development of the disease can vary considerably between avian species and epidemiological situations. Given the low efficacy of therapeutic treatments, it is essential that breeders or avian practitioners know the conditions that favor the emergence of Aspergillosis in order to put adequate preventive measures in place. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycoses in Wildlife)
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23 pages, 20516 KiB  
Review
Cryptococcus in Wildlife and Free-Living Mammals
by Patrizia Danesi, Christian Falcaro, Laura J. Schmertmann, Luisa Helena Monteiro de Miranda, Mark Krockenberger and Richard Malik
J. Fungi 2021, 7(1), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof7010029 - 6 Jan 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4562
Abstract
Cryptococcosis is typically a sporadic disease that affects a broad range of animal species globally. Disease is a consequence of infection with members of the Cryptococcus neoformans or Cryptococcus gattii species complexes. Although cryptococcosis in many domestic animals has been relatively well-characterized, free-living [...] Read more.
Cryptococcosis is typically a sporadic disease that affects a broad range of animal species globally. Disease is a consequence of infection with members of the Cryptococcus neoformans or Cryptococcus gattii species complexes. Although cryptococcosis in many domestic animals has been relatively well-characterized, free-living wildlife animal species are often neglected in the literature outside of occasional case reports. This review summarizes the clinical presentation, pathological findings and potential underlying causes of cryptococcosis in various other animals, including terrestrial wildlife species and marine mammals. The evaluation of the available literature supports the hypothesis that anatomy (particularly of the respiratory tract), behavior and environmental exposures of animals play vital roles in the outcome of host–pathogen–environment interactions resulting in different clinical scenarios. Key examples range from koalas, which exhibit primarily C. gattii species complex disease presumably due to their behavior and environmental exposure to eucalypts, to cetaceans, which show predominantly pulmonary lesions due to their unique respiratory anatomy. Understanding the factors at play in each clinical scenario is a powerful investigative tool, as wildlife species may act as disease sentinels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycoses in Wildlife)
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