A Suspected Case of Paracoccidioidomycosis Ceti in a Male Aquarium-maintained Pacific White-sided Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) in Japan

[ABSTRACT] A Pacific white-sided dolphin diagnosed with suspected paracoccidioidomycosis ceti has suffered clinical manifestations since September 2008. Skin biopsy samples were examined microbiologically, pathologically, and with molecular biology. However, we detected no clear evidence of infection other than multiple budding-yeast cells in a skin stamp smear. The lesion improved after the oral administration of itraconazole and topical treatment with an ointment containing amphotericin B powder. These results imply that some fungal agents might be involved in the pathogenesis of the present case.