Co-infection of Aspergillus spp. with Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae in a red-crowned crane: a case report

This case describes outbreaks of acute aspergillosis in a red-crowned crane. A six-month-old, male, crane had showed clinical signs (i.e. anorexia, performance loss, ruffled feathers and drooped wings and open mouth breathing, etc.) before death. In necropsy examination, spherical to oval nodules disseminated from the respiratory tract to other organs. Those nodules were formed predominantly in air sacs, lung, peritoneum, serosa of esophagus and trachea. The nodules varied in size from 1 mm to over 1cm and the color was white to yellow. Microscopically, most of lung architecture were replaced by multiple foci which were characterized by well demarcated eosinophilic and karyorrhetic debris and surrounded by numerous Inflammatory cell. Most within necrotic center of the nodules, large numbers of fungal hyphae were present. Microbiology result indicated fungal growths on sabroud dextrose agar and bacterial growths on blood agar. Bacteria identified as E. rhusiopathiae using MALDI-TOF (microflex, BRUKER, USA) and fungi identified as A. fumigatus, A. terreus by sequencing the ITS1 and ITS4 regions. To confirm the route of infection, we checked the existence of the same pathogens in cohabitant (i.e. mother crane). The young age and weakened immunity (i.e. bacterial infection, etc.) causes fatal aspergillosis in birds.