School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, 4556, Australia.
Australian Registry of Wildlife Health, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Mosman, NSW, 2088, Australia.
Sci Rep. 2020 Dec 1;10(1):20976. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-77865-7.
Members of the genus Nannizziopsis are emerging fungal pathogens of reptiles that have been documented as the cause of fatal mycoses in a wide range of reptiles in captivity. Cases of severe, proliferative dermatitis, debility and death have been detected in multiple free-living lizard species from locations across Australia, including a substantial outbreak among Eastern water dragons (Intellagama lesueurii) in Brisbane, Queensland. We investigated this disease in a subset of severely affected lizards and identified a clinically consistent syndrome characterized by hyperkeratosis, epidermal hyperplasia, dermal inflammation, necrosis, ulceration, and emaciation. Using a novel fungal isolation method, histopathology, and molecular techniques, we identified the etiologic agent as Nannizziopsis barbatae, a species reported only once previously from captive lizards in Australia. Here we report severe dermatomycosis caused by N. barbatae in five species of Australian lizard, representing the first cases of Nannizziopsis infection among free-living reptiles, globally. Further, we evaluate key pathogen and host characteristics that indicate N. barbatae-associated dermatomycosis may pose a concerning threat to Australian lizards.
Nannizziopsis 属成员是一种新兴的爬行动物真菌病原体，已被记录为导致圈养范围内多种爬行动物致命真菌感染的原因。在澳大利亚各地的多种自由生活蜥蜴物种中，包括昆士兰州布里斯班的东部水龙（Intellagama lesueurii）中发生的大规模暴发，都发现了严重的增殖性皮炎、虚弱和死亡病例。我们在一组受影响严重的蜥蜴中调查了这种疾病，并确定了一种临床表现一致的综合征，其特征为过度角化、表皮增生、真皮炎症、坏死、溃疡和消瘦。使用新型真菌分离方法、组织病理学和分子技术，我们鉴定出病原体为 Nannizziopsis barbatae，这是一种以前仅在澳大利亚圈养蜥蜴中报道过的物种。在这里，我们报告了五种澳大利亚蜥蜴的严重皮肤真菌病，这是自由生活爬行动物中首次发现 N. barbatae 感染，在全球范围内也是首次。此外，我们评估了关键的病原体和宿主特征，表明 N. barbatae 相关的皮肤真菌病可能对澳大利亚蜥蜴构成严重威胁。
