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Background: The anthropause during the recent COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine the impact of human activity on seabirds. Lockdowns in Peru prevented people from visiting coastal areas, thereby reducing garbage disposal on beaches and the movement of microplastics into the ocean. This cessation of activities likely led to a temporary decrease in plastic pollution in coastal regions. We aimed to investigate this phenomenon in inshore-feeding neotropic cormorants (Nannopterum brasilianus) along the Circuito de Playas Costa Verde (CPCV), situated on the coastal strip of Lima, Peru (∼ 11 million people). Methods: We collected and analyzed fresh pellets along the CPCV before (over 11 months) and during the pandemic lockdowns (over 8 months). Results: Our findings revealed a significant reduction in the occurrence of plastic in pellets during the pandemic period (% Oc = 2.47, n = 647 pellets) compared to pre-pandemic conditions (% Oc = 7.13, n = 800 pellets). The most common plastic debris item found in the pellets was threadlike microplastic. Additionally, our study highlights the direct correlation between human presence on beaches and the quantity of microplastics (mainly threadlike) found in cormorant pellets. We suggest that the reintroduction of these materials into the sea, previously accumulated on the coast, is likely facilitated by the movement and activity of beachgoers toward the ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Due to the difficulty in the access to free-ranging birds, data regarding Aspergillus infections in wild avian species is rare compared to captive wild and domestic birds. Objective: report three cases of Aspergillus section Fumigati causing fungal disease in free-ranging aquatic birds, with the identification of the causal agent to the species level. Case reports: The diagnosis of aspergillosis was performed by macroscopic lesions found during the necropsy and confirmed by culture. Molecular identification by partial sequencing of the calM and benA genes allowed to confirm Aspergillus fumigatus sensu stricto as the etiological agent of aspergillosis in Procellaria aequinoctialis (White-chinned petrel) (n = 1), Nannopterum brasilianus (Neotropical cormorant) (n = 1) and Chroicocephalus maculipennis (Brown-hooded gull) (n = 1). Conclusion: Larger studies regarding the importance of aspergillosis in free-ranging aquatic birds are necessary, as well as it potential role in the One Heath context.

Adults of the genus Austrodiplostomum are parasites in cormorants of the New World, whereas metacercariae are parasites from eye globe and brain of freshwater and brackish water fishes. In this study, specimens of Austrodiplostomum mordax from South America (type-species) were analyzed together with other specimens of Austrodiplostomum spp. collected from several locations across Middle America and North America. Partial DNA sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), the internal transcribed spacers (ITS1, ITS2, and 5.8S gene), and the D2–D3, domains of the large subunit (LSU) of nuclear ribosomal DNA, were generated for both developmental stages and compared with available sequences of Austrodiplostomum spp. Phylogenetic analyses inferred with each molecular marker using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference revealed the existence of 4 lineages representing 2 described species, A. mordax and Austrodiplostomum compactum (syn. Austrodiplostomum ostrowskiae) and 2 undescribed species of Austrodiplostomum recognized in previous studies. The COI haplotype network inferred with 172 sequences detected 28 haplotypes divided into 4 clusters, separating each other by 33 and 40 substitutions and with a genetic divergence ranging from 9 to 12%. The largest group included specimens identified as A. compactum plus those identified as A. ostrowskiae, supporting the synonymy of both species. As a result, we conclude that A. compactum is widely distributed across the Americas, in locations of the United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Peru, and Brazil. The other 2 undescribed species of the genus Austrodiplostomum were previously recorded in the United States and now are reported in Mexico. These 2 species cannot be described because adult forms have not been found in their definitive hosts. Finally, the species A. mordax has been found only in some lakes from Argentina, and it was validated in this study through molecular analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the difficulty in the access to free-ranging birds, data regarding Aspergillus infections in wild avian species is rare compared to captive wild and domestic birds. Objective: report three cases of Aspergillus section Fumigati causing fungal disease in free-ranging aquatic birds, with the identification of the causal agent to the species level. Case reports: The diagnosis of aspergillosis was performed by macroscopic lesions found during the necropsy and confirmed by culture. Molecular identification by partial sequencing of the calM and benA genes allowed to confirm Aspergillus fumigatus sensu stricto as the etiological agent of aspergillosis in Procellaria aequinoctialis (White-chinned petrel) (n = 1), Nannopterum brasilianus (Neotropical cormorant) (n = 1) and Chroicocephalus maculipennis (Brown-hooded gull) (n = 1). Conclusion: Larger studies regarding the importance of aspergillosis in free-ranging aquatic birds are necessary, as well as it potential role in the One Heath context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]