全身性异孢菌感染(全身性等孢子虫病[SI])在雀形目鸟类中很常见,可能会导致动物学标本大量死亡。有26种圈养动物的十年验尸记录,伦敦动物学会饲养的非本地雀形目鸟类,伦敦动物园,加上在动物园内发现死亡的七个自由放养的物种,进行了审查,以评估死亡原因和SI的发生(组织印模涂片和/或聚合酶链反应[PCR]检测IsosporaDNA中是否存在裂殖子)。回顾了287名青少年和成年人的记录,其中161人有SI测试结果。最常见的死因是身体上的(外伤,捕食,溺水,和体温过低),在39.0%的病例中诊断。致命的SI被认为是五个物种中只有9个人的死亡原因(占所有病例的3.1%,5.6%的测试鸟类)。然而,在细胞学检查的150个个体中,有36.0%的裂殖子被记录(代表33个物种中的18个),53份脾脏样本(14种)中有45.3%的IsosporaDNA阳性。通过两种方法测试的42只鸟的测试一致性为69.0%。假设PCR结果是正确的,161只鸟类(21种)中有37.9%在死亡时SI呈阳性。由于DNA保存不良和某些物种的个体数量少,这些数字可能低估了患病率。扩增了8个新的28SrDNA序列和12个新的内部转录间隔区1/2序列。来自同一宿主物种的个体的序列聚集在一起,暗示一个单一的Isospora物种,并且没有证据表明宿主之间存在重叠。这些结果证实,在动物园雀形目中,Isospora物种的全身性感染通常具有低致病性,并且很可能与其宿主共同进化。可能会发生严重的疾病,然而,压倒性的曝光,继发于免疫抑制,或与另一种病原体共感染后。
Infection with systemic Isospora species (systemic
isosporiasis [SI]) is common in passerine birds and may cause substantial mortality in zoological collections. Ten years of postmortem records of 26 species of captive, nonnative passerine birds maintained at the Zoological Society of London, London Zoo, plus seven free-ranging species found dead within the zoo, were reviewed to assess cause of death and occurrence of SI (presence of merozoites in tissue impression smears and/or polymerase chain reaction [PCR] testing for Isospora DNA). The records of 287 juveniles and adults were reviewed, of which 161 had SI test results. The most common cause of death was physical (trauma, predation, drowning, and hypothermia), diagnosed in 39.0% of cases. Virulent SI was considered the cause of death in only nine individuals from five species (3.1% of all cases, 5.6% of tested birds). However, merozoites were recorded in 36.0% of the 150 individuals examined cytologically (representing 18 of the 33 species), while 45.3% of 53 spleen samples (14 species) were positive for Isospora DNA. Test agreement for the 42 birds tested by both methods was 69.0%. Assuming that the PCR result was correct in these, 37.9% of the 161 birds (21 species) were positive for SI at the time of death. These figures might underestimate prevalence because of poor DNA preservation and low numbers of individuals of some species tested. Eight new 28S rDNA sequences and 12 new internal transcriber spacer 1/2 sequences were amplified. Sequences from individuals of the same host species clustered together, suggesting a single Isospora species, and there was no evidence of overlap among hosts. These results confirm that systemic infection with Isospora species in zoo passerines is generally of low pathogenicity and most likely coevolved with their hosts. Severe disease may occur, however, with overwhelming exposure, secondary to immunosuppression, or following coinfection with another pathogen.