ABSTRACT: Cryptosporidium spp. are parasitic intracellular protozoa that infect the digestive, respiratory, and urinary tracts of vertebrates. The disease affects many different avian species across all continents, and >25 species and genotypes of Cryptosporidium have been documented infecting birds. We report on an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in African penguin Spheniscus demersus chicks admitted to a rehabilitation center in South Africa from February 2012 to October 2013. Eighteen cases were confirmed through histopathology. The most frequent clinical signs were regurgitation (78%), dyspnea (72%), decreased weight gain or weight loss (72%), and lethargy (50%). Clinical signs began 8-46 d after hatching or admission (median: 13 d), and death followed 1-41 d after the onset of clinical signs (median: 13.5 d). The most frequent necropsy findings were stomach distended with undigested food or gas (78%), mildly reddened lungs (56%), spleen petechial hemorrhage (44%), and kidney congestion (39%). The most frequent histopathological findings were necrotic bursitis (89%), necrotic enteritis (83%), and bursal atrophy (67%). Small round or oval basophilic bodies (3-5 µm diameter) consistent with Cryptosporidium sp. were closely associated with the surface of the epithelial cells or in the lumen of the bursa (89%), large intestine (61%), small intestine (44%), trachea (22%), and ventriculus (6%). Transmission electron microscopy of 1 case confirmed that these organisms were Cryptosporidium sp. To our knowledge, this is the first report of cryptosporidiosis in penguins, raising concern of the potential implications for the conservation of these species.

中文翻译：

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非洲企鹅Spheniscus demersus隐孢子虫病的爆发。

摘要：隐孢子虫属。是寄生虫的细胞内原生动物，可感染脊椎动物的消化，呼吸和泌尿道。该病影响了各大洲的许多不同鸟类，隐孢子虫的超过25种和基因型已被证明感染鸟类。我们报告了非洲企鹅Spheniscus demersus隐孢子虫病的爆发2012年2月至2013年10月，小鸡被送往南非的康复中心。通过组织病理学确认了18例病例。最常见的临床体征是反流（78％），呼吸困难（72％），体重增加或体重减轻减少（72％）和嗜睡（50％）。孵化或入院后8-46 d开始临床体征（中位数：13 d），临床体征发作后1-41 d死亡（中位数：13.5 d）。尸检最常见的结果是胃胀满未消化的食物或气体（78％），肺部轻度变红（56％），脾脏上皮出血（44％）和肾充血（39％）。最常见的组织病理学发现是坏死性滑囊炎（89％），坏死性肠炎（83％）和滑囊萎缩（67％）。圆形或椭圆形的嗜碱性小体（直径3-5 µm）与隐孢子虫属。与上皮细胞表面或法氏囊腔紧密相关（89％），大肠（61％），小肠（44％），气管（22％）和脑室（6％）。1例透射电镜证实这些生物是隐孢子虫。据我们所知，这是企鹅隐孢子虫病的首次报道，引起人们对这些物种的保护的潜在影响的关注。