Abstract:
Rehabilitation is an important strategy for the conservation of the Endangered
African penguin Spheniscus demersus, and disease has been raised as a concern in the management
of the species, both in the wild and in rehabilitation centres. We report 8 cases of herpes -
virus-like respiratory infection in African penguin chicks undergoing rehabilitation between 2010
and 2013 at a facility in Cape Town, South Africa. Infection was confirmed through the identification
of viral inclusions in the tracheal epithelium and demonstration of particles consistent with
herpesvirus by electron microscopy, whereas virus isolation in eggs, serology and PCR testing
failed to detect the virus. Only penguin chicks were affected; they were in poor body condition,
and in 2 cases infection occurred prior to admission to the rehabilitation centre. The role played
by the herpesvirus-like infection in the overall respiratory disease syndrome is uncertain, due to
identification of lesions in only a small proportion of the chicks as well as to the occurrence of other
concurrent pathological processes. Further studies are advised to characterise the specific virus
involved through the development of sensitive diagnostic methods and to clarify the epidemiology
and significance of these infections in wild African penguins.
