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Opportunistic fungal pathogens isolated from a captive individual of the European blind cave salamander Proteus anguinus

2018; Inter-Research; Volume: 129; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3354/dao03229

1616-1580

Lilijana Bizjak Mali, Polona Zalar, Martina Turk, Monika Novak Babič, Rok Kostanjšek, Nina Gunde‐Cimerman,

Amphibian and Reptile Biology

DAO Diseases of Aquatic Organisms Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials DAO 129:15-30 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03229 Opportunistic fungal pathogens isolated from a captive individual of the European blind cave salamander Proteus anguinus Lilijana Bizjak-Mali, Polona Zalar, Martina Turk, Monika Novak Babič, Rok Kostanjšek, Nina Gunde-Cimerman* Department of Biology, Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia *Corresponding author: nina.gunde-cimerman@bf.uni-lj.si ABSTRACT: Proteus anguinus is a neotenic cave amphibian endemic to the Dinaric Karst and represents a symbol of Slovenian natural heritage. It is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is one of the EU priority species in need of strict protection. Due to inaccessibility of its natural underground habitat, scientific studies have been primarily conducted on Proteus in captivity where amphibians may be particularly susceptible to opportunistic microbial infections. In this case report, we present the results of an analysis of an individual that had been kept in captivity for 6 yr and then developed clinical symptoms, including ulcers, suggesting opportunistic microbial infection. Pigmented fungal hyphae and yeast-like cells were present in the dermis and in almost all other sampled tissues. Sampling of the ulcer allowed the isolation of a diverse array of bacterial and fungal species. We identified the water-borne, polymorphic black yeast Exophiala salmonis, an opportunistic pathogen of fish, as the cause of the primary infection. This is the first report on a fungal infection of Proteus and on cave salamanders in general. KEY WORDS: Proteus anguinus · Dinaric Karst · Troglobiont · Microbial infection · Exophiala salmonis · Pseudomonas Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Bizjak-Mali L, Zalar P, Turk M, Novak Babič M, Kostanjšek R, Gunde-Cimerman N (2018) Opportunistic fungal pathogens isolated from a captive individual of the European blind cave salamander Proteus anguinus. Dis Aquat Org 129:15-30. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03229 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in DAO Vol. 129, No. 1. Online publication date: June 19, 2018 Print ISSN: 0177-5103; Online ISSN: 1616-1580 Copyright © 2018 Inter-Research.