We report the gross and microscopic findings and molecular identification of fungal hyphate infection in a juvenile female Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis found dead off Arguineguin, Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain). On necropsy examination, the animal had a large cranial intrathoracic mass and multiple variably-sized nodules throughout the larynx and trachea that obliterated the lumen. Microscopically, the masses were composed of abundant pyogranulomatous inflammation with numerous fungal hyphae. These were pauciseptate (coenocytic) and had non-parallel walls, non-dichotomous irregular to right angle branching, and bulbous dilations. PCR analysis from these inflammatory foci yielded Rhizopus arrhizus (syn. R. oryzae). This fungal pathogen is often ascribed to opportunistic infections in immunosuppressed humans and animals. In the present case, a potential cause for immunosuppression was not identified; PCR analysis for cetacean morbillivirus was negative. Herein, we report the first confirmed case of R. arrhizus infection in a free-living Atlantic cetacean. These findings add to the body of knowledge on fungal disease in cetaceans in general and, in particular, in odontocetes, where respiratory involvement is common.
Keywords: Cetacean pathology; Fungal infection; Marine mammal; Mycosis; Zygomycetes.