First Documentation of Exophiala spp. Isolation in Psittaciformes

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The microbiomes of birds are not yet widely understood, although they are increasingly being studied. After the successful medical management of a suspected traumatic lesion in the left choana of a military macaw (Ara militar), in which Exophiala spp. was consistently reported, another 24 psittaciform birds from a Portuguese zoological collection were sampled to study the role of Exophiala spp. as part of the avian microbioma. Swab samples were collected from the trachea and/or choanae and proceeded for fungal isolation, in which fungal species were identified through their macroscopic and microscopic morphology. Exophiala spp. was identified in 60% of the birds sampled and no statistical association was found between the clinical record of the birds and the fungal isolation. This is the first report of isolation of Exophiala spp. in the upper airways of avian species. ABSTRACT: Several fungi species are reported to act as opportunistic agents of infection in avian species. After the isolation of Exophiala spp., a dematiaceous fungal pathogen associated with a mucosal lesion in a military macaw (Ara militar), samples were collected from another 24 birds of the order Psittaciformes to study the possibility of Exophiala spp. being part of the commensal microbiota of these animals or its possible association with other clinical conditions. Swab samples were collected from the trachea and/or choanae of the birds and inoculated in Sabouraud chloramphenicol agar for fungal isolation. After incubation, fungal species were identified through their macroscopic and microscopic morphology. The presence of Exophiala spp. was identified in 15 of the 25 birds sampled and no statistical association was found between the clinical record of the birds and the fungal isolation. Our results suggest that Exophiala spp. can colonize the upper respiratory airways of psittaciform birds and has a low pathogenic potential in these animals. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of Exophiala spp. isolation from samples of the upper respiratory tract of Psittaciformes.