Abstract
Aspergillosis is the main cause of mortality in captivity penguins. The infection occurs mainly by conidia inhalation of the Aspergillus genus, however, the fungus can also be dispersed by water. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate water quality of the pool where the rehabilitated penguins remain at Centro de Recuperação de Animais Marinhos in Rio Grande city, Brazil, searching for the presence of the fungus Aspergillus spp. Water samples were collected weekly during a ten-month period and processed within six hours, applying the technique of filtrating membrane, with incubation at 25 ºC and 37 ºC during seven days. Of the forty samples analyzed, thirty-two were positive for the presence of Aspergillus genus, from these 60% correspond to A. fumigatus. Some variables significantly interfered on the isolation of Aspergillus genus and/or Aspergillus fumigatus specie, such as incubation temperature, seasonality and population density. This study showed Aspergillus spp. is present in the water, being one of the possible sources of infections for penguins in rehabilitation.
Keywords:
aspergillosis; rehabilitation center; Spheniscus magellanicus; water quality