Paracoccidioidomycosis ceti (lacaziosis/ lobomycosis) in dolphins

Abstract

Infections caused by the fungal pathogen Lacazia loboi were first reported in 1931 by Jorge de Oliveira Lobo in a human with granulomatous skin lesions in Pernambuco, Brazil. Early histopathological and serological analyses found morphological similarities and cross-reactive antigens with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. In 1971, veterinarians working with dolphins in Florida, USA, reported granulomatous skin lesions in a dolphin, similar to that in human lacaziosis. Based on histopathological findings, L. loboi was initially believed to be also the etiologic agent of cutaneous disease in dolphins. Ever since, cutaneous granulomas have been reported in different dolphin species around the coast of Asia, Europe, and North and South America. Recently, using molecular biology approaches, some investigators stated that the DNA sequences extracted from cases of cutaneous granulomas in dolphins were closely related to those of P. brasiliensis. This chapter deals with the history, taxonomy, and other features of L. loboi in humans and the unculturable P. brasiliensis var. ceti type affecting the skin of dolphins.