1
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First confirmed stranding of a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Polar Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-021-02905-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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2
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Ohishi K, Maruyama T, Seki F, Takeda M. Marine Morbilliviruses: Diversity and Interaction with Signaling Lymphocyte Activation Molecules. Viruses 2019; 11:E606. [PMID: 31277275 PMCID: PMC6669707 DOI: 10.3390/v11070606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological reports of phocine distemper virus (PDV) and cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) have accumulated since their discovery nearly 30 years ago. In this review, we focus on the interaction between these marine morbilliviruses and their major cellular receptor, the signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM). The three-dimensional crystal structure and homology models of SLAMs have demonstrated that 35 residues are important for binding to the morbillivirus hemagglutinin (H) protein and contribute to viral tropism. These 35 residues are essentially conserved among pinnipeds and highly conserved among the Caniformia, suggesting that PDV can infect these animals, but are less conserved among cetaceans. Because CeMV can infect various cetacean species, including toothed and baleen whales, the CeMV-H protein is postulated to have broader specificity to accommodate more divergent SLAM interfaces and may enable the virus to infect seals. In silico analysis of viral H protein and SLAM indicates that each residue of the H protein interacts with multiple residues of SLAM and vice versa. The integration of epidemiological, virological, structural, and computational studies should provide deeper insight into host specificity and switching of marine morbilliviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazue Ohishi
- Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo Polytechnic University, 1583, Iiyama, Atsugi, Kanagawa 243-0297, Japan.
| | - Tadashi Maruyama
- School of Marine Biosciences, Kitasato University, 1-15-1, Kitazato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0373, Japan
| | - Fumio Seki
- Department of Virology III, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-7-1, Gakuen, Musashimurayama, Tokyo 208-0011, Japan
| | - Makoto Takeda
- Department of Virology III, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-7-1, Gakuen, Musashimurayama, Tokyo 208-0011, Japan
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3
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Groch KR, Groch KR, Kolesnikovas CKM, de Castilho PV, Moreira LMP, Barros CRMB, Morais CR, Renault-Braga EP, Sierra E, Fernandez A, Catão-Dias JL, Díaz-Delgado J. Cetacean morbillivirus in Southern Right Whales, Brazil. Transbound Emerg Dis 2018; 66:606-610. [PMID: 30365233 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 10/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) has caused repeated epizootics and interepizootic fatalities in a variety of cetacean species worldwide. Recently, a novel CeMV strain (GD-CeMV) was linked to a mass die-off of Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) in Brazil. Southern right whales (SRWs; Eubalaena australis) migrate to the southern Brazilian coast during austral winter and spring (June through November) for breeding and calving. Because unexplained high calf mortality rates have recurrently been documented in SRWs, we hypothesized they could be infected with CeMV. We developed a novel real-time RT-PCR method based on SYBR® GREEN for detection of CeMV and identified the virus in three out of five stranded SRWs from Santa Catarina state, Brazil. The partial sequences of the morbillivirus phosphoprotein gene suggest that the virus is similar to the GD-CeMV strain. Our results indicate CeMV can infect SRWs and should be considered in the differential aetiologic diagnosis of infectious diseases in this species. It also raises concern for potential conservation implications for this species in its main coastal breeding area off Southern Brazil.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Karina R Groch
- Instituto Australis/Projeto Baleia Franca, Imbituba, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Eva Sierra
- Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Antonio Fernandez
- Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
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4
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Pathology and causes of death in stranded humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from Brazil. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0194872. [PMID: 29768405 PMCID: PMC5955494 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 03/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
This study describes the pathologic findings of 24 humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) found stranded along the Brazilian coast from 2004 to 2016. Eighteen (75%) animals evaluated were found stranded alive. From these, 13 died naturally on shore and five were euthanized. Six died at sea and were washed ashore. Of the 24, 19 (79.2%) were calves, four (16.7%) were juveniles, and one (4.2%) was an adult. The most probable cause of stranding and/or death (CSD) was determined in 23/24 (95.8%) individuals. In calves, CSD included neonatal respiratory distress (13/19; 68.4%), infectious disease (septicemia, omphaloarteritis and urachocystitis; 3/19; 15.8%), trauma of unknown origin (2/19; 10.5%), and vehicular trauma (vessel strike; 1/19; 5.3%). In juveniles and adult individuals, CSD was: emaciation (2/5; 40%), sunlight-thermal burn shock (1/5; 20%); and discospondylitis (1/5; 20%). In one juvenile, the CSD was undetermined (1/5; 20%). This study integrates novel findings and published case reports to delineate the pathology of a South-western Atlantic population of humpback whales. This foundation will aid in the assessment of the population health and establish a baseline for development of conservation policies.
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5
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Abstract
We summarized the neuropathologic findings in 60 cetaceans stranded along the Italian coastline from 2002 to 2014. The following neuropathologic changes were detected in 45% (27/60) of animals: nonsuppurative meningo-encephalitides (30%, 18/60), nonspecific lesions (12%, 7/60), suppurative encephalitis (2%, 1/60), and neoplasm (2%, 1/60). No histologic lesions were found in 47% (28/60) of the specimens. Five (8%, 5/60) samples were unsuitable for analysis. Analysis with PCR detected Brucella spp., morbillivirus, and Toxoplasma gondii infection in one, six, and seven individuals, respectively. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed positivity for morbillivirus and for T. gondii infection in three cases each. No evidence of the scrapie-associated prion protein PrPSc was detected. Our findings underscore the importance of an adequate surveillance system for monitoring aquatic mammal pathologies and for protecting both animal and human health.
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6
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Dolphin Morbillivirus in a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in Denmark, 2016. J Wildl Dis 2017; 53:921-924. [DOI: 10.7589/2016-11-246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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7
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Häussermann V, Gutstein CS, Bedington M, Cassis D, Olavarria C, Dale AC, Valenzuela-Toro AM, Perez-Alvarez MJ, Sepúlveda HH, McConnell KM, Horwitz FE, Försterra G. Largest baleen whale mass mortality during strong El Niño event is likely related to harmful toxic algal bloom. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3123. [PMID: 30038848 PMCID: PMC6055221 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2016] [Accepted: 02/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
While large mass mortality events (MMEs) are well known for toothed whales, they have been rare in baleen whales due to their less gregarious behavior. Although in most cases the cause of mortality has not been conclusively identified, some baleen whale mortality events have been linked to bio-oceanographic conditions, such as harmful algal blooms (HABs). In Southern Chile, HABs can be triggered by the ocean–atmosphere phenomenon El Niño. The frequency of the strongest El Niño events is increasing due to climate change. In March 2015, by far the largest reported mass mortality of baleen whales took place in a gulf in Southern Chile. Here, we show that the synchronous death of at least 343, primarily sei whales can be attributed to HABs during a building El Niño. Although considered an oceanic species, the sei whales died while feeding near to shore in previously unknown large aggregations. This provides evidence of new feeding grounds for the species. The combination of older and newer remains of whales in the same area indicate that MMEs have occurred more than once in recent years. Large HABs and reports of marine mammal MMEs along the Northeast Pacific coast may indicate similar processes in both hemispheres. Increasing MMEs through HABs may become a serious concern in the conservation of endangered whale species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Häussermann
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Escuela de Ciencias del Mar, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.,GeoBio-Center, Munich, Germany.,Huinay Scientific Field Station, Puerto Montt, Region de los Lagos, Chile
| | - Carolina S Gutstein
- Area de Patrimonio Natural, Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile.,Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Laboratorio de Ontogenia y Filogenia, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile.,Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - David Cassis
- Centro de Investigación e Innovación para el Cambio Climático, Universidad Santo Tómas, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos Olavarria
- Centro de Investigación Eutropia, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile.,Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Aridas, La Serena, Chile
| | - Andrew C Dale
- Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Scotland, UK
| | - Ana M Valenzuela-Toro
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.,Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Maria Jose Perez-Alvarez
- Centro de Investigación Eutropia, Santiago, Región Metropolitana, Chile.,Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | | | | | - Fanny E Horwitz
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Günter Försterra
- Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Escuela de Ciencias del Mar, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.,Huinay Scientific Field Station, Puerto Montt, Region de los Lagos, Chile.,Department of Zoology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
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8
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Genomic and structural investigation on dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) in Mediterranean fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). Sci Rep 2017; 7:41554. [PMID: 28134317 PMCID: PMC5278511 DOI: 10.1038/srep41554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) has been deemed as one of the most relevant threats for fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) being responsible for a mortality outbreak in the Mediterranean Sea in the last years. Knowledge of the complete viral genome is essential to understand any structural changes that could modify virus pathogenesis and viral tissue tropism. We report the complete DMV sequence of N, P/V/C, M, F and H genes identified from a fin whale and the comparison of primary to quaternary structure of proteins between this fin whale strain and some of those isolated during the 1990–‘92 and the 2006–‘08 epidemics. Some relevant substitutions were detected, particularly Asn52Ser located on F protein and Ile21Thr on N protein. Comparing mutations found in the fin whale DMV with those occurring in viral strains of other cetacean species, some of them were proven to be the result of diversifying selection, thus allowing to speculate on their role in host adaptation and on the way they could affect the interaction between the viral attachment and fusion with the target host cells.
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McAloose D, Rago MV, Di Martino M, Chirife A, Olson SH, Beltramino L, Pozzi LM, Musmeci L, La Sala L, Mohamed N, Sala JE, Bandieri L, Andrejuk J, Tomaszewicz A, Seimon T, Sironi M, Samartino LE, Rowntree V, Uhart MM. Post-mortem findings in southern right whales Eubalaena australis at Península Valdés, Argentina, 2003-2012. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2016; 119:17-36. [PMID: 27068500 DOI: 10.3354/dao02986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Between 2003 and 2012, 605 southern right whales (SRW; Eubalaena australis) were found dead along the shores of Península Valdés (PV), Argentina. These deaths included alarmingly high annual losses between 2007 and 2012, a peak number of deaths (116) in 2012, and a significant number of deaths across years in calves-of-the-year (544 of 605 [89.9%]; average = 60.4 yr(-1)). Post-mortem examination and pathogen testing were performed on 212 whales; 208 (98.1%) were calves-of-the-year and 48.0% of these were newborns or neonates. A known or probable cause of death was established in only a small number (6.6%) of cases. These included ship strike in a juvenile and blunt trauma or lacerations (n = 5), pneumonia (n = 4), myocarditis (n = 2), meningitis (n = 1), or myocarditis and meningitis (n = 1) in calves. Ante-mortem gull parasitism was the most common gross finding. It was associated with systemic disease in a single 1-2 mo old calf. Immunohistochemical labeling for canine distemper virus, Toxoplasma gondii and Brucella spp., and PCR for cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV), influenza A, and apicomplexan protozoa were negative on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung and brain samples from a subset of whales; PCR for Brucella spp. was positive in a newborn/neonate with pneumonia. Skin samples from whales with gull parasitism were PCR negative for CeMV, poxvirus, and papillomavirus. This is the first long-term study to investigate and summarize notable post-mortem findings in the PV SRW population. Consistent, significant findings within or between years to explain the majority of deaths and those in high-mortality years remain to be identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise McAloose
- Wildlife Conservation Society Zoological Health Program, Bronx, New York 10464, USA
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10
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Van Bressem MF, Duignan PJ, Banyard A, Barbieri M, Colegrove KM, De Guise S, Di Guardo G, Dobson A, Domingo M, Fauquier D, Fernandez A, Goldstein T, Grenfell B, Groch KR, Gulland F, Jensen BA, Jepson PD, Hall A, Kuiken T, Mazzariol S, Morris SE, Nielsen O, Raga JA, Rowles TK, Saliki J, Sierra E, Stephens N, Stone B, Tomo I, Wang J, Waltzek T, Wellehan JFX. Cetacean morbillivirus: current knowledge and future directions. Viruses 2014; 6:5145-81. [PMID: 25533660 PMCID: PMC4276946 DOI: 10.3390/v6125145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Revised: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We review the molecular and epidemiological characteristics of cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) and the diagnosis and pathogenesis of associated disease, with six different strains detected in cetaceans worldwide. CeMV has caused epidemics with high mortality in odontocetes in Europe, the USA and Australia. It represents a distinct species within the Morbillivirus genus. Although most CeMV strains are phylogenetically closely related, recent data indicate that morbilliviruses recovered from Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), from Western Australia, and a Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis), from Brazil, are divergent. The signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) cell receptor for CeMV has been characterized in cetaceans. It shares higher amino acid identity with the ruminant SLAM than with the receptors of carnivores or humans, reflecting the evolutionary history of these mammalian taxa. In Delphinidae, three amino acid substitutions may result in a higher affinity for the virus. Infection is diagnosed by histology, immunohistochemistry, virus isolation, RT-PCR, and serology. Classical CeMV-associated lesions include bronchointerstitial pneumonia, encephalitis, syncytia, and lymphoid depletion associated with immunosuppression. Cetaceans that survive the acute disease may develop fatal secondary infections and chronic encephalitis. Endemically infected, gregarious odontocetes probably serve as reservoirs and vectors. Transmission likely occurs through the inhalation of aerosolized virus but mother to fetus transmission was also reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Françoise Van Bressem
- Cetacean Conservation Medicine Group (CMED), Peruvian Centre for Cetacean Research (CEPEC), Pucusana, Lima 20, Peru
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel.: +49-30-53051397
| | - Pádraig J. Duignan
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AL T2N 4Z6, Canada; E-Mail:
| | - Ashley Banyard
- Wildlife Zoonoses and Vector Borne Disease Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Michelle Barbieri
- The Marine Mammal Centre, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA; E-Mails: (M.B.); (F.G.)
| | - Kathleen M Colegrove
- Zoological Pathology Program, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Maywood, IL 60153 , USA; E-Mail:
| | - Sylvain De Guise
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, and Connecticut Sea Grant College Program, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Giovanni Di Guardo
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Andrew Dobson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
| | - Mariano Domingo
- Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain; E-Mail:
| | - Deborah Fauquier
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; E-Mails: (D.F.); (T.K.R.)
| | - Antonio Fernandez
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Institute of Animal Health, Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas 35413, Spain; E-Mails: (A.F.); (E.S.)
| | - Tracey Goldstein
- One Health Institute School of Veterinary Medicine University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Bryan Grenfell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kátia R. Groch
- Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-207, Brazil; E-Mail:
- Instituto Baleia Jubarte (Humpback Whale Institute), Caravelas, Bahia 45900-000, Brazil
| | - Frances Gulland
- The Marine Mammal Centre, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA; E-Mails: (M.B.); (F.G.)
- Marine Mammal Commission, 4340 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Brenda A Jensen
- Department of Natural Sciences, Hawai`i Pacific University, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Paul D Jepson
- Institute of Zoology, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Ailsa Hall
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 8LB, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Thijs Kuiken
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam 3015 CN, The Netherlands; E-Mail:
| | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Padua 35020, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Sinead E Morris
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
| | - Ole Nielsen
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Central and Arctic Region, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6 , Canada; E-Mail:
| | - Juan A Raga
- Marine Zoology Unit, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia 22085, Spain; E-Mail:
| | - Teresa K Rowles
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; E-Mails: (D.F.); (T.K.R.)
| | - Jeremy Saliki
- Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA GA 30602 , USA; E-Mail:
| | - Eva Sierra
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Institute of Animal Health, Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas 35413, Spain; E-Mails: (A.F.); (E.S.)
| | - Nahiid Stephens
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Western Australia, Australia; E-Mail:
| | - Brett Stone
- QML Vetnostics, Metroplex on Gateway, Murarrie, Queensland 4172, Australia; E-Mail:
| | - Ikuko Tomo
- South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide 5000, South Australia, Australia; E-Mail:
| | - Jianning Wang
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), East Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia; E-Mail:
| | - Thomas Waltzek
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; E-Mail:
| | - James FX Wellehan
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; E-Mail:
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Mazzariol S, Marcer F, Mignone W, Serracca L, Goria M, Marsili L, Di Guardo G, Casalone C. Dolphin Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii coinfection in a Mediterranean fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus). BMC Vet Res 2012; 8:20. [PMID: 22397492 PMCID: PMC3319419 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-8-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2011] [Accepted: 03/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii have emerged as important pathogens for several cetaceans populations over the last 20 years, they have never been identified together in a Mysticete. In particular, morbilliviral infection has been never described in the Mediterranean fin whale population. CASE PRESENTATION On January 2011 an adult male of fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) stranded along the Tyrrhenian coastline of Italy. During necropsy, tissue samples from heart, skeletal muscle, mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney were collected and subsequently analyzed for Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii by microscopic and molecular methods. Following the detailed necropsy carried out on this whale, molecular analysis revealed, for the first time, the simultaneous presence of a Dolphin Morbillivirus (DMV) and T. gondii infection coexisting with each other, along with high organochlorine pollutant concentrations, with special reference to DDT. CONCLUSION This report, besides confirming the possibility for Mysticetes to be infected with DMV, highlights the risk of toxoplasmosis in sea water for mammals, already immunodepressed by concurrent factors as infections and environmental contaminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, AGRIPOLIS-Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy.
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12
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Morbillivirus infection in pilot whales: strict protein requirement drives genetic conservation. Arch Virol 2011; 156:1853-9. [DOI: 10.1007/s00705-011-1042-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2011] [Accepted: 05/26/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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13
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Yang WC, Pang VF, Jeng CR, Chou LS, Chueh LL. Morbilliviral infection in a pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) from Taiwanese waters. Vet Microbiol 2006; 116:69-76. [PMID: 16644147 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2006.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2005] [Revised: 03/23/2006] [Accepted: 03/28/2006] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Morbilliviral infection was diagnosed in an adult male pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) from southwestern Taiwan on the basis of pathological findings, immunohistochemical staining, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The whale was found alive stranded on the beach and died after 5 days of medical care. It was thin and had dozens of nematode in the first stomach. The lungs were dark red and heavy. Histopathological examination revealed diffuse, moderate bronchointerstitial pneumonia. Intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusions with occasional syncytial cell formation were noted in the lungs, lymph nodes, and spleen. The RNA extracted from lung tissue was subjected to morbilliviral gene amplification. After priming with specific oligonucleotides, the cDNA covering the phosphoprotein (P) gene was copied and then amplified by PCR. The gene fragment amplified from the lung tissue was sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of partial P gene revealed 97.6% sequence identity to the dolphin morbillivirus and 90.2% similarity to the pilot whale morbillivirus. Morbilliviral antigens were detected in the lungs, lymph nodes, and spleen by immunohistochemistry using polyclonal antibody against rinderpest virus. This is the first report of morbilliviral infection with genetic evidence in a pygmy sperm whale from the Western Pacific Ocean around Taiwan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Cheng Yang
- Graduate Institute of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan, ROC.
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14
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Jauniaux T, Petitjean D, Brenez C, Borrens M, Brosens L, Haelters J, Tavernier T, Coignoul F. Post-mortem findings and causes of death of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) stranded from 1990 to 2000 along the coastlines of Belgium and Northern France. J Comp Pathol 2002; 126:243-53. [PMID: 12056772 DOI: 10.1053/jcpa.2001.0547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Between the years 1990 and 2000, an attempt was made to determine the causes of death of 55 harbour porpoises stranded along the Belgian and northern French coasts. From 1990 to 1996, only five carcasses were collected as against seven in 1997, eight in 1998, 27 in 1999 and eight in 2000. The sex ratio was normal and most of the animals were juvenile. The most common findings were emaciation, severe parasitosis and pneumonia. A few cases of fishing net entanglement were observed. The main microscopical lesions were acute pneumonia, massive lung oedema, enteritis, hepatitis and gastritis. Encephalitis was observed in six cases. No evidence of morbillivirus infection was detected. Pneumonia was associated with bacteria or parasites, or both. The causes of death and the lesions were similar to those previously reported in other countries bordering the North Sea. The cause of the increased numbers of carcasses in 1999 was unclear but did not include viral epizootics or net entanglement. A temporary increase in the porpoise population in the southern North Sea may have been responsible.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Jauniaux
- Department of Pathology, Veterinary College, Liège, B43, 4000, Belgium
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Jauniaux T, Boseret G, Desmecht M, Haelters J, Manteca C, Tavernier J, van Gompel J, Coignoul F. Morbillivirus in common seals stranded on the coasts of Belgium and northern France during summer 1998. Vet Rec 2001; 148:587-91. [PMID: 11386444 DOI: 10.1136/vr.148.19.587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Sixteen common seals (Phoca vitulina) were stranded on the Belgian and northern French coasts during the summer of 1998. Eleven (10 pups and one adult) were sampled for histopathological, immunohistochemical, serological, bacteriological, parasitological and virological investigations. The main gross findings were severe emaciation, acute haemorrhagic enteritis, acute pneumonia, interstitial pulmonary emphysema and oedema, and chronic ulcerative stomatitis. Microscopical lung findings were acute to subacute pneumonia with interstitial oedema and emphysema. Severe lymphocytic depletion was observed in lymph nodes. Severe acute to subacute meningoencephalitis was observed in one animal. Specific staining with two monoclonal antibodies directed against canine distemper virus (CDV) and phocine distemper virus was observed in a few lymphocytes in the spleen and lymph nodes of three seals. Anti-CDV neutralising antibodies were detected in sera from six animals. Seven of the seals were positive by reverse transcriptase-PCR for the morbillivirus phosphoprotein gene. The lesions observed were consistent with those in animals infected by a morbillivirus, and demonstrated that distemper has recently recurred in North Sea seals.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Jauniaux
- Department of Pathology, Veterinary College, University of Liège, Belgium
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