Seroprevalences Against Paracoccidioides cetii: A Causative Agent for Paracoccidiomycosis Ceti (PCM-C) and Coccidioides posadasii; for Coccidioidomycosis (CCM) in Dall's Porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli) and Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Stranded at Hokkaido, Japan

The Ecology of Non-Candida Yeasts and Dimorphic Fungi in Cetaceans: From Pathogenicity to Environmental and Global Health Implications

“…While infections have been previously documented in species such as California sea lions and sea otters [20], this was the inaugural finding in a free-ranging purely aquatic marine species and confirmed the fungus thrived in the marine environment, contrary to the usual arid or semiarid endemic zones. A more recent study by Kanegae et al [53] revealed a 15.4% seroprevalence against C. posadasii in porpoises stranded in Hokkaido, Japan, with positivity in four Dall's porpoises and one harbor porpoise. Taken together, these findings indicate an expanded environmental and host range for Coccidioides, emphasizing its adaptability and potential risks to marine wildlife.…”

“…To date, all cases of paracoccidioidomycosis have occurred in species of the Delphinidae family, while there are no reports on this phenomenon in platanistoid dolphins or mysticetes. Moreover, both captive and wild dolphins are susceptible to this infection, and serological studies have demonstrated that the seroprevalence against P. ceti in captive dolphins is 61.0%, while that in wild Dall's porpoises is 26.9% [53]. Evidence of paracoccidioidomycosis has been reported in bottlenose dolphins (T. truncatus) in the West Atlantic [43,46,[54][55][56], in the East Atlantic [35], and in the Eastern Pacific [45,57], and in Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), both in the Indian Ocean [49] and in the Western Pacific [52,58].…”

“…Coccidioides spp. have been proven to thrive in marine environments and infect marine mammals, including cetaceans [53,69], and unusual weather patterns have been linked to a significant increase in cases in recent decades [101]. The predicted surge in dust storms and the spread of arid environments, together with soil disruption and periods of changes in precipitation [95], could potentially double endemic areas and transport a large number of infective propagules into the marine environment, becoming a threat to cetaceans.…”

Potential Fungal Zoonotic Pathogens in Cetaceans: An Emerging Concern

“…Adding to the concern, a study by Kanegae et al (2022) [49] reported a 15.4% seroprevalence against C. posadasii in porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli and Phocoena phocoena) stranded in Hokkaido, Japan, indicating a broader environmental and host range than previously understood. These findings underscore the adaptability of Coccidioides and the potential risks it poses not only to humans but also to marine wildlife.…”

PCR と LAMP 法の組み合わせにより診断されたバンドウイルカ（<i>Tursiops truncatus</i>）と オキゴンドウ（<i>Pseudorca crassidens</i>）のクジラ型パラコクシジオイデス症

“…However, in the Far East areas, such as Japan, the survey could ignore cross-reactions as human paracoccidioidomycosis and coccidioidomycosis do not exist in Japan, and there is no cross-reaction between H. capulatum and P. cetii in dolphins from these areas [14,15]. In this study, we applied serological reactions in surveys of nursing and stranded dolphins in Japan [16,17]. We present two cases of paracoccidioidomycosis ceti in an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin and a false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens ), which were initially left with an open diagnosis due to lack of cytological findings, but later confirmed with PCR-LAMP [7].…”