Pneumonia, airsacculitis and osteomyelitis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus in an African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) - case report

Aspergillosis is a fungal disease with high morbidity and mortality in wild and exotic bird species. The aim of this report is to describe a case of acute aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus in a young African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus). A three -month -old male African grey parrot from a commercial breeding site presented serous nasal discharge, inappetence, and wheezing on pulmonary auscultation. The parrot died three days after the onset of clinical signs. Postmortem evaluation demonstrated multiple smooth gray plaques in air sacs and left lung with dark red areas and adhesions to the ribs. Microscopically, there were intralesional hyphae and conidiophores in the lungs, air sacs, and ribs, which were associated with pneumonia, airsacculitis, and osteomyelitis, respectively. DNA samples were extracted from paraffinized tissues and subjected to PCR targeting the ITS -2 region, followed by sequencing, which yielded a sequence with 100% coverage and 100% identity to Aspergillus fumigatus sequences. Although A. fumigatus infection is quite common in birds, a particular aspect of interest in this case was the finding of conidiophores in the bone marrow, which may occur in birds due to air circulation through pneumatic bones.