Countermeasures Against Aspergillosis in Captive Penguins

Aspergillosis is a major fungal infection in humans and animals. Penguins (Order Spheniscidae) are particularly susceptible to aspergillosis, and aspergillosis in captive penguins is presently a major problem. We were faced with the challenge of combating aspergillosis in an aquarium. As a solution, we organized a multidisciplinary aspergillosis control team, including a medical and veterinary mycologist. Since Aspergillus, including Aspergillus fumigatus, is abundant in soil, we thought it necessary to minimize contact between captive penguins and soil to prevent aspergillosis. As a countermeasure, we stopped using a route for outdoor penguin marches where the soil was exposed. Additionally, after outdoor penguin marches, the feet of penguins were washed with seawater to avoid bringing soil into the rearing facility for penguins. Furthermore, since A. fumigatus was detected on several spots in the environment of the rearing facility by swab analysis, we cleaned and sanitized the rearing facility with 0.02% sodium hypochlorite and hot water. As a result of the above measures, there has been no incidence of aspergillosis in captive penguins since 2016. These results show that our preventive measures are working well. As shown here, we presented an example of how the multidisciplinary control team, which included a mycologist, successfully implemented preventive measures against aspergillosis. Due to changes in the rearing environment and the impact of global warming on penguins, it is expected that the role of mycologists in aspergillosis control will expand in the future.