SYSTEMIC MUCORMYCOSIS IN TWO LOVEBIRDS (Agapornis fischeri and Agapornis roseicollis)

Mucormycosis are rarely described in parrots. One year old Fischer’s lovebird (Agapornis fischeri) and a two year old female Peach-faced lovebirds (Agapornis roseicollis) from two different aviaries, died after some days of lethargy and ruffled feathers, were submitted for necropsy. To investigate the cause of death, gross necropsy, histopathological exams (H&E and Groccot stain) and biomolecular analysis were carried out. No gross lesions were appreciated at necropsy, while histopathology evidenced a systemic mycosis. In the Fischer’s Lovebird the presence of fungal hyphae and microgranulomatous lesions was evident in liver and spleen. In the Peach-faced lovebirds, kidneys are involved. Lungs of both birds are affected by severe chronic pneumonia with strong interalveolar fibrosis of septa and parenchymal hepatization, with extensive pleuritis and severe mycotic colonization. In histologic sections, pleuritis varied considerably in extent. Generally lesions were diffuses and characterized by a few predominantly mononuclear leucocytes within and around a pleural arteriole and its adjacent capillaries. The surrounding pleural stroma was mildly oedematous and contained a few proliferating fibroblasts. The overlying mesothelial cells were often slightly hyperplastic. The inflammation involving an estimated 25-30% of the pleura in the histologic section. Mononuclear leucocytes predominated in these infiltrates. The interstitial lung disease was also randomly distributed and multifocal in the same bird. In some microscopic fields, lesions were confined to prealveolar arterioles and adjacent alveolar septal capillaries or extended for short distances into the surrounding alveolar septae plus the overlying pleura. Severity of septal fibrosis or lysis could not be correlated with the degree of leucocytic infiltration. Large interstitial tissue leucocytic infiltrative lesions often displayed foamy macrophage aggregates, discrete multinucleated giant cells, patchy fibrosis, and neovascularization. In such exuberant lesions the lung architecture could no longer be recognized. Air sacs were characterized by widespread and evident form of inflammation and degeneration of mesothelial cells. In affected organs, Grocott stain showed characteristic broad and non-septated hyphae suggestive of Zygomycoses. For each bird, DNA was extracted in double from two tissue sections (5-8 μm), by using ReliaPREPtmFFPE gDNA Miniprep System (Promega®). Two different genetic targets - the internal transcribed spacer 1 region rDNA (ITS1) and the extended 28S region of rDNA - were amplified by using universal primers ITS5/ITS2 and 12F/13R, respectively (2). Sequences of PCR products identified Mucor racemosus (Fischer’s lovebird) and Mucor circinelloides (Peach-faced lovebirds) when blasted in Genebank database. Sequences of ITS1 and 26S amplicons confirmed Mucor species identity with a similarity of 100% and 97% respectively. To our knowledge, this report is the first description of Mucor racemosus and M. circinelloides infection and related pathology in Lovebirds.