Jauniaux T †, Mignon B *, Coignoul F †
† Department of
Pathology, Veterinary College, University of Liege, Sart Tilman B-43, 4000
Liege, Belgium
* Department of Infectious Diseases and Parasitology, Veterinary College, University
of Liege, Sart Tilman B-43, 4000 Liege, Belgium
The multidisciplinary research group MARIN (Marine Animals Research and Intervention Network) is in charge of necropsies of marine mammal stranded along the coasts of Belgium and Northern France and the identification of the cause of death. Between 1998 and 2002, the average annual number of stranded harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) was 19, whereas in 2003, more than 50 porpoises were washed ashore. The most common findings were emaciation and broncho-pneumonia secondary to nematode infestation. However, in some cases large caseous abcesses were found in the lung. Under the microscope, severe acute necrotizing pneumonia was observed and, in 2 cases, granulomatous reaction in bronchial and mesenteric lymph nodes. In pulmonary and lymphoid tissues, fungal filaments were observed in the inflammatory reaction that stained positively with periodic acid-Schiff staining and negatively with Ziehl-Neelsen staining. After culture on Sabouraud media, yeast was isolated from the lesions and identified as a Candida-like fungus. It appeared to be the first cases of fungal pneumonia in porpoises stranded on the continental coastline of the southern North Sea. This disease could contribute to explaining the high rate of stranding in 2003. In cetaceans, most previously reported cases of fungal pneumonia were associated with morbillivirus infection.
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