Malassezia spp detected at the edge of the eye of a white-eyed parakeet (Aratinga leucophthalma, statius muller, 1776) - a case report

Abstract

The white-eyed parakeet (Aratinga leucophthalma), also known in Brazil as "periquitão-maracanã," "aratinga-de-bando," "araguaí" and "maritaca," belongs to the family Psittacidae. The fungal genus Malassezia, which lives on the surface of the skin and mucosae of some mammals and birds, is a commensal organism that may sometimes act as a pathogen. This paper describes the presence of Malassezia spp at the edge of the eye of a white-eyed parakeet seized by IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources­) and examined at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU) Veterinary Hospital. The examination of the bird revealed the presence of a small white rounded structure at the edge of its right eye. The bird was sedated and a fragment of the structure was removed and sent to the university's Laboratory of Infectious Diseases. This material was seeded in blood and MacConkey agars and a slide was prepared and stained by the Gram-staining technique; no biochemical assays were performed. Reading was performed in an optical microscope under 100X magnification, revealing flattened oval colonies resembling purplish footprints, indicative of Malassezia spp. The bird was not treated because the structure gradually diminished in size until it disappeared completely after the animal was isolated in a clean well ventilated place and supplied with water and good quality food suitable for the species. It is believed that the development of the atypical and uncommon foreign body in the bird's eye may have been caused by immunodepression resulting from the period of stress it underwent during wildlife trafficking.