Clinical and pathological features of Aspergillus fumigatus infections in poultry in southern Nigeria

This study was undertaken to supply information on Aspergillus fumigatus infection of poultry in Nigeria. The disease in broiler chicks was characterized by gasping, droopiness, emaciation and heavy mortality while affected grower chickens showed emaciation, weakness, diarrhoea and 17 per cent mortality. The disease was sporadic in laying flocks. Granulomatous nodules were observed in birds that died in each outbreak. The nodules were numerous and affected mainly the lungs and thoracic air sacs in the broiler chicks while only few large nodules were observed mainly in the abdominal air sacs in the layers.     

Omphalitis associated with Aspergillus fumigatus in poults

Omphalitis associated with aspergillosis was diagnosed in four cases of commercial turkey poults ranging in age from 3 to 9 days old. In two cases, the mycotic agent present in the yolk sac was isolated and identified as Aspergillus fumigatus. In the other two cases, the fungi were identified as Aspergillus sp. on the basis of morphologic characteristics of the fungi in tissue sections. The fungi present were further confirmed to be of the genus Aspergillus by immunohistochemistry. Omphalitis by A. fumigatus infection has not been documented before.     

蜂胶对烟曲霉抑菌机制的体外研究

探讨蜂胶对烟曲霉的抗茵作用及其作用机制,为蜂胶临床治疗由烟曲霉引起的疾病提供参考依据。本文采用不同浓度(10、20、30、40、50、100、150、200 mg/m1)的蜂胶乙醇提取物(EEP)处理烟曲霉孢子,结果发现,其存在剂量依赖性,接着琼脂稀释法测定蜂胶的最小抑茵浓度(MIC),将烟曲霉与1/2MIC_(50)EEP孵育3d后发现,蜂胶组烟曲霉菌丝的重量和呼吸速率显著低于对照组,且蜂胶组孢子的超微结构严重受损。通过半定量PCR分析磷脂腺肌醇信号通路相关的表达情况,发现蜂胶组pKC基因与对照组相比呈现下调趋势。这些结果暗示,蜂胶能够抑制烟曲霉的生长,具有治疗由烟曲霉引起的疾病的潜力,是一种有前途的生物活性化合物。     

Studies of Aspergillus fumigatus; casein precipitating and proteolytic effects of mycelial filtrate

Schäffer (1900) and Butkewitch (1903) seem to have been the first to focus attention on the proteolytic activity of micro-fungi. The occurrence and properties of proteolytic enzymes from various fungus species were subsequently studied by several authors. Literature in this field was reviewed by e.g. Ito (1950), Gorbach & Koch (1955), Koch & Dedic (1957), Hagihara (1960), Davies (1963) and Roper & Fennell (1965).In connection with investigation of the proteolytic activity of several fungus species, a gelatin hydrolyzing effect of Aspergillus fumigatus (AF) was reported to be exerted by living organisms in pure culture (Jensen 1931), extracted mycelial material (Maxwell 1950, Dingle & Solomons 1952), and by fluid culture medium in which AF was cultured (Dion 1950a, b, Dingle & Solomons). Ay res & Tobie (1943) demonstrated moderate casein hydrolyzing activity in extracted mycelial material from 4 AF strains, and Amatayakul (1955) observed low fibrinolytic activity in 1 strain.Proteolytic activity measured by breakdown of gelatin and casein was demonstrated by Jonsson & Martin (1964) in culture medium in which AF had been cultured. Three activity optima were observed at pH values around 3, 6.5 and 10. A subsequent study indicated that the activity in neutral and alkaline environment was caused by the same enzyme (Martin & Jönsson 1965).By means of electrophoretic separation combined with reactions for enzyme characterization, Tran Van Ky et al. (1966) demonstrated proteolytic activity in mycelial extracts of 21-day AF cultures. A casein precipitating enzyme (CP enzyme) was demonstrated by Sandvik (1967) in the fluid phase of frozen and thawed skimmilk agar cultures from e.g. AF.In addition to haemolysin and toxin (Rutqvist 1965, 1968, Rutqvist & Persson 1966), mycelial filtrates of AF have proved to contain a proteolytic enzyme. An account is given in the following of a study of this enzyme with respect to (1) casein precipitating ability, (2) casein and gelatin hydrolyzing effect, and (3) relation to toxin and haemolysin.     

雏鹅感染烟曲霉鉴定与病理组织学观察

为确定荣昌3个养鹅场雏鹅感染的真菌种类,本研究采集病死雏鹅肺脏病变组织样本进行病原分离,对分离的真菌进行了形态学鉴定和ITS2序列PCR扩增及测序分析。结果显示:分离的真菌菌落颜色、菌丝结构、孢子无性繁殖方式均符合烟曲霉的特征,ITS2序列与GenBank的烟曲霉AF454113、AF454114、AY660923菌株同源性均为100%。分离菌株雏鹅回归试验显示,感染雏鹅气囊有真菌结节,肺泡壁增厚,毛细血管淤血,支气管管腔有脓性纤维蛋白或粘液,肝细胞变性坏死,淋巴细胞浸润等病变。肺脏主要表现为非典型肺炎,肝脏主要表现为实质性肝炎。本研究为临床诊断曲霉病提供了实验依据。     

Serodiagnosis of Aspergillus fumigatus antibody in migratory ducks

Migrating duck populations in Wisconsin were evaluated during a one-year period for exposure to Aspergillus fumigatis by two serodiagnostic methods: immunodiffusion and countercurrent immunoelectrophoresis. Peak antibody reactivity to sporulating culture extracts of the fungus was detected in serum samples collected in winter. Antibody levels did not differ between male and female or adult and juvenile populations.     

Aspergillus fumigatus Bronchopneumonia in a Hellenic Shepherd Dog

A 3 yr old intact female Hellenic shepherd dog was referred due to depression, partial anorexia, fever, and a mild productive cough of 2 mo duration. Thoracic radiographs showed increased opacity of all of the left lung lobes. Upon bronchoscopy, a sanguineous, purulent discharge was detected in the tracheal lumen with hyperplastic tissue narrowing the left main stem bronchus. Cultures were positive for bacteria (Bacillus spp. and Clostridium spp.) but negative for fungi. Due to the severity of the lesions, a complete left lung pneumonectomy was performed. Histopathological examination of the excised lung tissues revealed a severe granulomatous bronchopneumonia with numerous alveolar macrophages laden with structures stained positively by periodic acid-Schiff and Grocott stain that had morphology consistent with fungi. PCR and sequencing of internal transcribed spacer regions 1 and 2 from genetic material extracted from paraffin-embedded pulmonary tissue confirmed the presence of Aspergillus fumigatus. Itraconazole was administrated for 5.5 mo and the dog was clinically normal 26 mo after surgery.     

Pathogenesis of Aspergillus fumigatus infection in pigeons in the Sudan.

The pathogenesis of a pigeon isolate of Aspergillus fumigatus in a local breed of pigeons in the Sudan was tested. The spores inoculated intravenously resulted in an acute disease with 100% of mortality within six days. At necropsy, pinpoint and miliary lesions were prominent in the liver, spleen, lungs and kidneys. Histopathological examination detected lesions in the liver, heart, lungs, kidneys, spleen and brain. Hyphae and/or spores were encountered in all these organs. The presence of A. fumigatus was confirmed by reisolation from the liver, lungs and kidneys.     

烟曲霉感染对肉鸡部分免疫指标的影响

为了研究烟曲霉感染对肉鸡血清免疫球蛋白(Ig)、γ干扰素(IFN-γ)浓度及传染性法氏囊病(IBD)抗体效价的影响,选用96只15日龄罗斯308肉鸡,随机分成试验组和对照组,每组4个重复,每个重复12只鸡。试验组连续滴注霉菌孢子5 d,对照组滴注生理盐水。试验后的第3、4和5天,分别从试验组和对照组每个重复随机抽出2只鸡进行剖检诊断和实验室检测;试验后的第7 (21日龄)和14天(28日龄),分别检测肉鸡血清中Ig A、Ig G、Ig M、IFN-γ和IBD抗体水平。结果:试验后的第3～5天,试验组鸡血液中均分离到烟曲霉;试验组鸡血清中Ig A、Ig G和Ig M浓度均极显著低于对照组(P<0. 01),血清中IFN-γ的浓度极显著高于对照组(P<0. 01),血清中IBD抗体效价极显著低于对照组(P<0. 01)。研究表明烟曲霉菌感染能显著降低肉鸡的免疫功能。     

Effects of adjuvant-augmented germling vaccines in turkey poults challenged with Aspergillus fumigatus

Turkey poults were vaccinated with combinations of two different germling preparations and three adjuvants (N-acetylmuranyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine, Pasteurella multocida lipopolysaccharide [LPS], and avridine) at 1 and 2 weeks of age, and their immunity was challenged by sublethal exposure to aerosols of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia at 1 month of age. Fewer turkeys in the groups given vaccines prepared from germlings grown on Dorset's and Henley's medium (D&H) had organisms in lung tissue at 2 weeks after challenge exposure as compared with those vaccinated with germling grown on neopeptone dialysate (Neo). The LPS of P. multocida appeared to be the most efficacious of the adjuvants in the D&H vaccine group, as A. fumigatus was isolated from only one of eight turkeys in this group; the number of organisms per gram of lung tissue was low compared with other vaccine groups at 2 weeks after challenge exposure; and poults given D&H vaccine with LPS as adjuvant had less-severe lung lesions than other groups. These differences in lung lesions were more marked at 2 weeks than at 8 weeks after challenge exposure. The only difference among other parameters in the vaccinated turkeys was lower heterophil counts in the turkeys given D&H-prepared vaccines than in unvaccinated controls. This was probably due to less-severe infections resulting from protective effects of these vaccines.     

Experimental Aspergillus fumigatus infection in quails and results of treatment with itraconazole

This study was performed to investigate (i). the clinical, histopathological and biochemical changes in quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) with experimentally induced aspergillosis; and (ii). the efficiency of itraconazole treatment on these infected birds. A total of 18021-day-old male quails was randomly divided into three groups (control, infected untreated and infected treated), each containing 60. The experimental infection was set by intratracheal inoculation of 0.2 ml inoculum of Aspergillus fumigatus (CBS 113.26 strain) consisting of approximately 2.7 x 106 spores/ml. Two days after the inoculation, general clinical signs of aspergillosis in the respiratory tract were observed. In the histopathological examination, caseous foci were found in lungs, trachea and on airsacs. All quails died in the infected untreated group. Aspergillus fumigatus was isolated from the various organs of all dead quails. There was no significant change in serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) activities in infected untreated birds compared with controls. However, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity, albumin and calcium levels, and albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio were lower while phosphorus and globulin levels were higher in the infected untreated group than in controls. Each quail in the infected treated group was given 10 mg/kg/day itraconazole via drinking water for 7 days immediately after the first clinical findings. Although all quails died in the infected untreated group, 41 quails survived in the itraconazole treatment group. Biochemical values also returned approximately to the control levels after the treatment. The conclusion was drawn that aspergillosis in the quails might cause economical losses because of high mortality. Oral itraconazole treatment of aspergillosis might lower the mortality rate in quails.