First Documentation of spp. Isolation in Psittaciformes.

Several fungi species are reported to act as opportunistic agents of infection in avian species. After the isolation of spp., a dematiaceous fungal pathogen associated with a mucosal lesion in a military macaw (), samples were collected from another 24 birds of the order Psittaciformes to study the possibility of spp. being part of the commensal microbiota of these animals or its possible association with other clinical conditions. Swab samples were collected from the trachea and/or choanae of the birds and inoculated in Sabouraud chloramphenicol agar for fungal isolation. After incubation, fungal species were identified through their macroscopic and microscopic morphology. The presence of spp. was identified in 15 of the 25 birds sampled and no statistical association was found between the clinical record of the birds and the fungal isolation. Our results suggest that spp. can colonize the upper respiratory airways of psittaciform birds and has a low pathogenic potential in these animals. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of spp. isolation from samples of the upper respiratory tract of Psittaciformes.