Histoplasmosis of local origin has not been reported in humans or wildlife in Alaska, and the disease has never been reported in a free-ranging marine mammal. In 2005 a northern sea otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) was found on Kodiak Island, Alaska, at 57° latitude north, far outside the known distribution of Histoplasma capsulatum. The animal died of disseminated histoplasmosis. Microorganisms consistent with Histoplasma sp. were observed on histopathology, and H. capsulatum was identified by PCR and sequencing. We suggest migratory seabirds or aerosol transmission through prevailing winds may have resulted in transmission to the sea otter.
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1 April 2014
Locally Acquired Disseminated Histoplasmosis in a Northern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in Alaska, USA
Kathy A. Burek-Huntington,
Verena Gill,
Daniel S. Bradway
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Journal of Wildlife Diseases
Vol. 50 • No. 2
April 2014
Vol. 50 • No. 2
April 2014
Alaska
Enhydra lutris
Histoplasma capsulatum
northern sea otter
seabirds