Aspergillosis is a respiratory fungal disease of importance in captive marine birds. The aim of this study was to describe the occurrence of aspergillosis in Thalassarche melanophris during rehabilitation events and to identify the etiological agent. All the albatrosses that were received for rehabilitation and died within a 2-year period were included in the study. The proportionate mortality rate caused by aspergillosis was 21.4% (3/14). One of the etiological agents was Aspergillus flavus/oryzae lineage, and the other was A. fumigatus sensu stricto. Our study suggests that aspergillosis can act as a limiting factor in the rehabilitation of albatrosses.
Keywords: Aspergillus fumigatus sensu stricto; Aspergillus section Flavi; molecular identification; procellariiformes; seabirds.
© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology.