Avaliação epidemiológica da aspergilose em pinguins-de-Magalhães no Centro de Recuperação de Animais Marinhos FURG

Abstract

The Centro de Recuperação de Animais Marinhos (CRAM-FURG) is a rehabilitation center that works essentially with debilitated Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus), aiming to rehabilitate and release them to their natural habitat. However, several of the received penguins develop aspergillosis, an opportunistic fungal disease frequently responsible for the death of captive birds, often in association with the stress experienced by these animals in captivity. This study aimed to examine a six-year period for cases of aspergillosis in Magellanic penguins undergoing rehabilitation at CRAMFURG. For that purpose, a retrospective cohort study was conducted using the institution s records of Magellanic penguins received from January 2004 to December 2009. Animals were classified in two groups: the case group included animals that died from aspergillosis, the control group included animals that survived and were released or those that died from conditions unassociated with aspergillosis. Variables examined as potential risk factors were age group, gender, oil fouling, precedence, prophylactic administration of itraconazole, time in captivity until death or release, body mass, and hematological parameters such as hematocrit and total plasmatic proteins. During this period, the institution received 366 Magellanic penguins, of which 39 were excluded from the analyses due to the insufficiency of data on their cause of death, thus 327 animals were studied. During the studied period, 66 penguins died of aspergillosis. Aspergillus fumigatus was the most frequent etiological agent (98.5%). Relative mortality by aspergillosis was 48.5% during the examined period, and the density of incidence was 7.3 lethal aspergillosis cases per 100 penguins-month. Approximately 75% of the aspergillosis cases occurred in animals received through transfers from other rehabilitation centers, and this was considered a significant risk factor for the disease, with a relative risk of greater than 3.0. Significant differences were also observed between the case and control groups in regards to their time in captivity until death, their hematocrit and total plasmatic proteins upon admission to the center, and their body mass change during the period in captivity. The findings demonstrate the negative impacts of aspergillosis on the rehabilitation of Magellanic penguins, with a high density of incidence and important mortality of these animals.