First morphological and molecular isolation of Talaromyces marneffei in beech marten (Martes foina) in Portugal

Abstract

Talaromyces marneffei is a zoonotic fungus that mostly infects immunocompromised individuals. For the first time, this fungus was isolated in an adult beech marten (Martes foina) hit by a car, found dead in Penamacor, Portugal. During the necropsy, different samples (skin, fur, lymph nodes, lung, spleen, kidneys, and brain) were collected and processed for microbiology (including mycology) and molecular biology. T. marneffei was identified through its mycological characteristics and confirmed by PCR in hair samples. No other lesions or alterations were reported, except a concomitant presence of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis in lung, kidney and brain samples. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first description of this fungus beech marten, as well as the first case of co-infection with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis in wildlife fauna. These results suggest a sylvatic life-cycle of T. marneffei, involving beech martens, in Portugal.