Infection by Histoplasma capsulatum and Candida tropicalis in a Coendou longicaudatus boliviensis (neotropical porcupine).

Fungal diseases associated with wild animals have been described, showing increased frequency and mortality or change in populations at risk. The new animal host in fungal infection is an important epidemiologic issue to understand the transmission and spread of fungus in the environment and the threat to public health. Histoplasmosis is a mycosis widely distributed throughout the world with a respiratory and systemic presentation reported in domestic and wild mammals, and is potentially fatal in immunosuppressed and immunocompetent individuals humans and not humans. Candidiasis is an opportunistic fungal disease reported in numerous species of birds and wild mammals, such as parakeets, dolphins, beavers, guanacos, and porcupines. To our knowledge, the first case of simultaneous co-infection of Histoplasma capsulatum and Candidia tropicalis in Coendou longicaudatus boliviensis (neotropical porcupine) is described through clinical, microbiological, and pathological diagnosis and confirmation with DNA sequencing. Both these fungi pose risks to public health associated with environment dissemination and antifungal resistance, and it is important to develop preventive diagnostics to adopt risk reduction measures.