Sarcocystis calchasi in a captive Patagonian conure (Cyanoliseus patagonus) in Finland

• Published in: Journal of Comparative Pathology
• Main Authors: Söderström, Minna Elisa, Malkamäki, Sanna, Sukura, Antti, Sainmaa, Sanna, Airas, Niina
• Other Authors: Veterinary Biosciences, Doctoral Programme in Food Chain and Health, Helsinki One Health (HOH), Doctoral Programme in Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Antti Sukura / Principal Investigator, Veterinary Pathology and Parasitology
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: ELSEVIER SCI IRELAND LTD 2022
• Subjects: 413 Veterinary science; Patologia; Parasitologia; Fennoscandia
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10138/341466

Sarcosystis calchasi is an emerging pathogen causing encephalitis in many avian species and has been documented in North America, Germany and Japan. In November 2019, a captive Patagonian conure (Cyanoliseus patagonus), kept in a zoological aviary in Finland, was euthanized due to acute respiratory distress. At necropsy, histopathological examination revealed numerous parasitic tissue cysts in the skeletal muscles and myocardium, chronic moderate multifocal lymphoplasmacytic and histiocytic meningoencephalitis and acute moderate multifocal purulent pneumonia caused by aspiration of foreign material. By light and transmission electron microscopy, tissue cysts had structures typical of Sarcocystis organisms. The ultrastructure of the cyst wall was compatible with S. calchasi and Sarcocystis columbae. S. calchasi-specific semi-nested polymerase chain reaction testing resulted in amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene, which had 100% identity with S. calchasi ITS sequences. This is the first report of S. calchasi in Fennoscandia and of a naturallyoccurring S. calchasi infection in a captive psittacine bird in Europe. Our finding suggests that captive psittacine birds kept in outdoor facilities may be at risk of S. calchasi infection throughout the Holarctic. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer reviewed