Dl. Obendorf et al., MUCOR-AMPHIBIORUM INFECTION IN PLATYPUS (ORNITHORHYNCHUS-ANATINUS) FROM TASMANIA, Journal of wildlife diseases, 29(3), 1993, pp. 485-487
Mucor amphibiorum, a fungus previously isolated from frogs and toads,
is reported from free-living platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, from
rivers in northern Tasmania. This fungus is responsible for the severe
ulcerative skin condition originally described by Munday and Peel (19
83). Mucor amphibiorum was isolated from dermal lesions OD four separa
te occasions. The gross and histopathological appearance of the fungal
lesions were similar to the earlier description. In vivo this fungus
develops as spherical forms containing a number of daughter spherules;
no mycelia are seen in tissue sections. By contrast, the in vitro gro
wth consists of aerial aseptate mycelia and sporangia, features typica
l of the genus Mucor. This is the first report of this organism causin
g a fatal disease in a mammal. Susceptibility to infection may be due
to the platypus having a body temperature of 32 C while the maximum te
mperature for growth of M. amphibiorum is 36 C.