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Herzog I, Siebert U, Lehnert K. High prevalence and low intensity of Echinophthirius horridus infection in seals revealed by high effort sampling. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14258. [PMID: 38902289 PMCID: PMC11190234 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64890-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Seal lice (Echinophthirius horridus) are bloodsucking ectoparasites of phocid seals and vectors of pathogens like the heartworm, Acanthocheilonema spirocauda. Grey and harbour seal populations are recovering in German waters and wildlife health surveillance is crucial for wildlife conservation. A new, high effort sampling protocol for seal lice was applied for grey and harbour seals along the German North- and Baltic Sea coast. Freshly dead seals were systematically sampled within a health monitoring of stranded seals over 12 months. Prevalence, intensity and distribution patterns of seal lice were analysed. 58% of harbour seals (n = 71) and 70% of grey seals (n = 10) were infected with seal lice. A majority of harbour seals displayed mild levels of infection, while three were moderately and two were severely infected. The head was the preferred predilection site, indicating that E. horridus prefers body areas with frequent access to atmospheric oxygen. Nits and different developmental stages were recorded in all age classes in grey and harbour seals in all seasons. For the first time, copulating specimens of E. horridus were recorded on a dead harbour seal, highlighting that E. horridus reproduces throughout the year on seals of all age classes in German waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Insa Herzog
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Büsum, Germany
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Büsum, Germany
| | - Kristina Lehnert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Büsum, Germany.
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2
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Herzog I, Wohlsein P, Preuss A, Gorb SN, Pigeault R, Ewers C, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Siebert U, Lehnert K. Heartworm and seal louse: Trends in prevalence, characterisation of impact and transmission pathways in a unique parasite assembly on seals in the North and Baltic Sea. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2024; 23:100898. [PMID: 38283886 PMCID: PMC10818207 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.100898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
The ectoparasitic seal louse, Echinophthirius horridus infects harbour (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) in the North and Baltic Sea. The endoparasitic heartworm Acanthocheilonema spirocauda parasitizes the right heart and blood vessels of harbour seals. The complete lifecycle of the heartworm is not entirely understood although the seal louse is assumed to serve as vector for its transmission. Knowledge about the impact of both parasite species on host health are scarce. In this study, necropsy data and archived parasites of harbour and grey seals in German waters were analysed to determine long-term seal louse (SLP) and heartworm prevalence (HWP) from 2014 to 2021. Histology, microbiology and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were applied on seal louse infected and uninfected skin to investigate associated lesions and the health impact. During the study period, HWP in harbour seals was 13%, the SLP in harbour seals was 4% and in grey seals 10%. HWP of harbour seals was significantly higher during the winter months compared to the summer. SLP in adults was significantly higher in comparison to juvenile harbour seals. SLP varied significantly between grey seals from the North and Baltic Sea. Filarial nematodes were detected in the haemocoel, pharynx, and intestine of E. horridus highlighting the seal louse as vector for heartworms. Alopecia and folliculitis were associated with the attachment posture of E. horridus and microbiological investigations isolated bacteria commonly associated with folliculitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Insa Herzog
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstraße 6, 25761, Büsum, Germany
| | - Peter Wohlsein
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Bünteweg 2, 30559, Hannover, Germany
| | - Anika Preuss
- Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute of the University of Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1–9, 24118, Kiel, Germany
| | - Stanislav N. Gorb
- Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute of the University of Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1–9, 24118, Kiel, Germany
| | - Rémi Pigeault
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstraße 6, 25761, Büsum, Germany
| | - Christa Ewers
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Ellen Prenger-Berninghoff
- Department of Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute of the University of Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1–9, 24118, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstraße 6, 25761, Büsum, Germany
| | - Kristina Lehnert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstraße 6, 25761, Büsum, Germany
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Mollerup IM, Bjørneset J, Krock B, Jensen TH, Galatius A, Dietz R, Teilmann J, van den Brand JMA, Osterhaus A, Kokotovic B, Lundholm N, Olsen MT. Did algal toxin and Klebsiella infections cause the unexplained 2007 mass mortality event in Danish and Swedish marine mammals? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 914:169817. [PMID: 38184244 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
An unusual mass mortality event (MME) of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) occurred in Denmark and Sweden in June 2007. Prior to this incident, the region had experienced two MMEs in harbour seals caused by Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV) in 1988 and 2002. Although epidemiology and symptoms of the 2007 MME resembled PDV, none of the animals examined for PDV tested positive. Thus, it has been speculated that another - yet unknown - pathogen caused the June 2007 MME. To shed new light on the likely cause of death, we combine previously unpublished veterinary examinations of harbour seals with novel analyses of algal toxins and algal monitoring data. All harbour seals subject to pathological examination showed pneumonia, but were negative for PDV, influenza and coronavirus. Histological analyses revealed septicaemia in multiple animals, and six animals tested positive for Klebsiella pneumonia. Furthermore, we detected the algal Dinophysis toxin DTX-1b (1-115 ng g-1) in five seals subject to toxicology, representing the first time DTX-1b has been detected in marine vertebrates. However, no animals tested positive for both Klebsiella and toxins. Thus, while our relatively small sample size prevent firm conclusions on causative agents, we speculate that the unexplained MME may have been caused by a chance incidence of multiple pathogens acting in parallel in June 2007, including Dinophysis toxin and Klebsiella. Our study illustrates the complexity of wildlife MMEs and highlights the need for thorough sampling during and after MMEs, as well as additional research on and monitoring of DTX-1b and other algal toxins in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida-Marie Mollerup
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark; Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Juni Bjørneset
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark; Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Bernd Krock
- Alfred Wegener Institut-Helmholtz Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Am Handelshafen 12, D-27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Trine Hammer Jensen
- Aalborg Zoo/Section of Biology and Environmental Science, University of Aalborg, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7, H, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Anders Galatius
- Section for Marine Mammal Research, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Rune Dietz
- Section for Marine Mammal Research, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Jonas Teilmann
- Section for Marine Mammal Research, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Albert Osterhaus
- Research Center Emerging Infections and Zoonoses (RIZ), University of Veterinary Medicine, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Branko Kokotovic
- Reference Laboratory for Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Bacteria, Parasites & Fungi, Statens Seruminstitut, Artillerivej 5, 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark
| | - Nina Lundholm
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Section for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark; Section for Marine Mammal Research, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
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Gonzales-Viera O, Goldstein T, Duignan P, Eiamcharoen P, Keel MK. California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus) lymph-node explant reveals involvement and possible transcriptional regulation of SLAM and nectin-4 during phocine distemper virus infection. Vet Pathol 2024; 61:125-134. [PMID: 37458158 DOI: 10.1177/03009858231186189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Phocine distemper virus (PDV) is a significant cause of mortality for phocid seals; however, the susceptibility of otariids to this virus is poorly understood. The authors used a lymph-node explant culture system from California sea lions (Zalophus californianus, CSL) to investigate: (1) the role of signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) and nectin-4 in PDV infection and their cellular expression patterns, (2) if PDV induces transcriptional regulation of cell-entry receptors, and (3) the involvement of apoptosis in PDV infection. PDV replicated in the lymph-node explants with peak replication 3 days post-infection (dpi), but the replication was not sustained 4 to 5 dpi. The PDV+ cells co-localized SLAM and nectin-4. These cells expressed IBA1, indicating a histiocytic lineage. Comparison of receptor expression between infected and mock-infected lymph nodes suggested transcriptional downregulation of both receptors during the initial stage of infection and upregulation during the late stage of infection, but the values lack of statistical significance. Cleaved caspase-3+ cells were slightly increased in the infected lymph nodes compared with the mock-infected lymph node from 1 to 4 dpi, but without statistical significance, and a few apoptotic cells co-expressed PDV. The results suggest that lymph-node explants might be an important model to study PDV pathogenesis. CSLs have the potential to be infected with PDV, as they express both cell-entry receptors in histiocytes. The lack of statistical significance in the PDV replication, transcriptional regulation of viral receptors, and changes in apoptosis suggest that although CSL might be infected by PDV, they might be less susceptible than phocid species.
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Hoekendijk JPA, Grundlehner A, Brasseur S, Kellenberger B, Tuia D, Aarts G. Stay close, but not too close: aerial image analysis reveals patterns of social distancing in seal colonies. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230269. [PMID: 37564067 PMCID: PMC10410205 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Many species aggregate in dense colonies. Species-specific spatial patterns provide clues about how colonies are shaped by various (a)biotic factors, including predation, temperature regulation or disease transmission. Using aerial imagery, we examined these patterns in colonies on land of two sympatric seal species: the harbour seal and grey seal. Results show that the density of grey seals on land is twice as high as that of harbour seals. Furthermore, the nearest neighbour distance (NND) of harbour seals (median = 1.06 m) is significantly larger than that of grey seals (median = 0.53 m). Avoidance at small distances (i.e. social distancing) was supported by spatial simulation: when the observed seal locations were shuffled slightly, the frequency of the smallest NNDs (0-25 cm) increased, while the most frequently observed NNDs decreased. As harbour seals are more prone to infectious diseases, we hypothesize that the larger NNDs might be a behavioural response to reduce pathogen transmission. The approach presented here can potentially be used as a practical tool to differentiate between harbour and grey seals in remote sensing applications, particularly in low to medium resolution imagery (e.g. satellite imagery), where morphological characteristics alone are insufficient to differentiate between species.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. P. A. Hoekendijk
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, 1790AB Den Burg, The Netherlands
- Wageningen University and Research, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - A. Grundlehner
- Wageningen University and Research, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University and Research, 1781AG Den Helder, The Netherlands
| | - S. Brasseur
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, 1790AB Den Burg, The Netherlands
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University and Research, 1781AG Den Helder, The Netherlands
| | - B. Kellenberger
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - D. Tuia
- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1950 Sion, Switzerland
| | - G. Aarts
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, 1790AB Den Burg, The Netherlands
- Wageningen University and Research, 6708PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University and Research, 1781AG Den Helder, The Netherlands
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Lehnert K, Herzog I, Boyi JO, Gross S, Wohlsein P, Ewers C, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Siebert U. Heartworms in Halichoerus grypus: first records of Acanthocheilonema spirocauda (Onchocercidae; Filarioidea) in 2 grey seals from the North Sea. Parasitology 2023; 150:781-785. [PMID: 37554107 PMCID: PMC10478062 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182023000501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
The assumed definitive host of the heartworm Acanthocheilonema spirocauda (Onchocerdidae; Filarioidea) is the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina). This filaroid nematode parasitizing in cardiac ventricles and blood vessel lumina of harbour seals (P. vitulina) has a low prevalence and seldom causes severe health impacts. The seal louse (Echinophthirius horridus) is the assumed intermediate host for transmission of A. spirocauda filariae between seals, comprising a unique parasite assembly conveyed from the terrestrial ancestors of pinnipeds. Although grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are infected by seal lice, heartworm infection was not verified. Analysing a longterm dataset compiled over decades (1996–2021) of health monitoring seals along the German coasts comprising post mortem investigations and archived parasites, 2 cases of A. spirocauda infected male grey seals were detected. Tentative morphological identification was confirmed with molecular tools by sequencing a section of mtDNA COI and comparing nucleotide data with available heartworm sequence. This is the first record of heartworm individuals collected from the heart of grey seals at necropsy. It remains puzzling why heartworm infection occur much less frequently in grey than in harbour seals, although both species use the same habitat, share mixed haul-outs and consume similar prey species. If transmission occurs directly via seal louse vectors on haul-outs, increasing seal populations in the North- and Baltic Sea could have density dependent effects on prevalence of heartworm and seal louse infections. It remains to be shown how species-specificity of filarial nematodes as well as immune system traits of grey seals influence infection patterns of A. spirocauda.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina Lehnert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover
| | - Insa Herzog
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover
| | - Joy Ometere Boyi
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover
| | - Stephanie Gross
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover
| | - Peter Wohlsein
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover
| | - Christa Ewers
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Ellen Prenger-Berninghoff
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover
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Barratclough A, Ferguson SH, Lydersen C, Thomas PO, Kovacs KM. A Review of Circumpolar Arctic Marine Mammal Health-A Call to Action in a Time of Rapid Environmental Change. Pathogens 2023; 12:937. [PMID: 37513784 PMCID: PMC10385039 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12070937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The impacts of climate change on the health of marine mammals are increasingly being recognised. Given the rapid rate of environmental change in the Arctic, the potential ramifications on the health of marine mammals in this region are a particular concern. There are eleven endemic Arctic marine mammal species (AMMs) comprising three cetaceans, seven pinnipeds, and the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). All of these species are dependent on sea ice for survival, particularly those requiring ice for breeding. As air and water temperatures increase, additional species previously non-resident in Arctic waters are extending their ranges northward, leading to greater species overlaps and a concomitant increased risk of disease transmission. In this study, we review the literature documenting disease presence in Arctic marine mammals to understand the current causes of morbidity and mortality in these species and forecast future disease issues. Our review highlights potential pathogen occurrence in a changing Arctic environment, discussing surveillance methods for 35 specific pathogens, identifying risk factors associated with these diseases, as well as making recommendations for future monitoring for emerging pathogens. Several of the pathogens discussed have the potential to cause unusual mortality events in AMMs. Brucella, morbillivirus, influenza A virus, and Toxoplasma gondii are all of concern, particularly with the relative naivety of the immune systems of endemic Arctic species. There is a clear need for increased surveillance to understand baseline disease levels and address the gravity of the predicted impacts of climate change on marine mammal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley Barratclough
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego, CA 92106, USA
| | - Steven H. Ferguson
- Arctic Aquatic Research Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, Canada;
| | - Christian Lydersen
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway; (C.L.); (K.M.K.)
| | - Peter O. Thomas
- Marine Mammal Commission, 4340 East-West Highway, Room 700, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA;
| | - Kit M. Kovacs
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway; (C.L.); (K.M.K.)
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Zalewski A, Virtanen JME, Zalewska H, Sironen T, Kołodziej-Sobocińska M. Asymptomatic viral infection is associated with lower host reproductive output in wild mink populations. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9390. [PMID: 37296209 PMCID: PMC10251326 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36581-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Many endemic viruses circulate in populations without hosts showing visible signs of disease, while still having the potential to alter host survival or reproduction. Aleutian Mink Disease Virus (AMDV) circulates in many American mink (Neogale vison) populations in its native and introduced ranges. In this study, we analysed how AMDV infection in female American mink affects the reproduction of a feral population. Females infected with AMDV delivered significantly smaller litters (5.8 pups) than uninfected females (6.3 pups), meaning their litter size was reduced by 8%. Larger females and yearling females had larger litters than smaller and older females. There were no significant differences in whole litter survival between infected and uninfected females; however, offspring survival until September or October within litters of infected females was 14% lower than that within those of uninfected females. This negative link between infection and reproductive output means that Aleutian disease could seriously affect the wild mink population. This study increases our understanding of the threats posed by the spread of viruses to wildlife from farm animals or humans, highlighting that viruses circulating in wildlife, even in the absence of clinical manifestation, can be important drivers of population dynamics in wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrzej Zalewski
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 17-230, Białowieża, Poland.
| | - Jenni M E Virtanen
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Agnes Sjöbergin Katu 2, 00790, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 3, 00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hanna Zalewska
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, 17-230, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Tarja Sironen
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Agnes Sjöbergin Katu 2, 00790, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Haartmaninkatu 3, 00290, Helsinki, Finland
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Screening for Influenza and Morbillivirus in Seals and Porpoises in the Baltic and North Sea. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12030357. [PMID: 36986279 PMCID: PMC10054458 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12030357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Historically, the seals and harbour porpoises of the Baltic Sea and North Sea have been subjected to hunting, chemical pollutants and repeated mass mortalities, leading to significant population fluctuations. Despite the conservation implications and the zoonotic potential associated with viral disease outbreaks in wildlife, limited information is available on the circulation of viral pathogens in Baltic Sea seals and harbour porpoises. Here, we investigated the presence of the influenza A virus (IAV), the phocine distemper virus (PDV) and the cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) in tracheal swabs and lung tissue samples from 99 harbour seals, 126 grey seals, 73 ringed seals and 78 harbour porpoises collected in the Baltic Sea and North Sea between 2002–2019. Despite screening 376 marine mammals collected over nearly two decades, we only detected one case of PDV and two cases of IAV linked to the documented viral outbreaks in seals in 2002 and 2014, respectively. Although we find no evidence of PDV and IAV during intermediate years, reports of isolated cases of PDV in North Sea harbour seals and IAV (H5N8) in Baltic and North Sea grey seals suggest introductions of those pathogens within the sampling period. Thus, to aid future monitoring efforts we highlight the need for a standardized and continuous sample collection of swabs, tissue and blood samples across Baltic Sea countries.
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Ferguson JM, González-González A, Kaiser JA, Winzer SM, Anast JM, Ridenhour B, Miura TA, Parent CE. Hidden variable models reveal the effects of infection from changes in host survival. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010910. [PMID: 36812266 PMCID: PMC9987815 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The impacts of disease on host vital rates can be demonstrated using longitudinal studies, but these studies can be expensive and logistically challenging. We examined the utility of hidden variable models to infer the individual effects of infectious disease from population-level measurements of survival when longitudinal studies are not possible. Our approach seeks to explain temporal deviations in population-level survival after introducing a disease causative agent when disease prevalence cannot be directly measured by coupling survival and epidemiological models. We tested this approach using an experimental host system (Drosophila melanogaster) with multiple distinct pathogens to validate the ability of the hidden variable model to infer per-capita disease rates. We then applied the approach to a disease outbreak in harbor seals (Phoca vituline) that had data on observed strandings but no epidemiological data. We found that our hidden variable modeling approach could successfully detect the per-capita effects of disease from monitored survival rates in both the experimental and wild populations. Our approach may prove useful for detecting epidemics from public health data in regions where standard surveillance techniques are not available and in the study of epidemics in wildlife populations, where longitudinal studies can be especially difficult to implement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake M. Ferguson
- Department of Biology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America
- Institute for Modeling Collaboration and Innovation, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Andrea González-González
- Institute for Modeling Collaboration and Innovation, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Johnathan A. Kaiser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Sara M. Winzer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Justin M. Anast
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Ben Ridenhour
- Department of Mathematics, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Tanya A. Miura
- Institute for Modeling Collaboration and Innovation, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
| | - Christine E. Parent
- Institute for Modeling Collaboration and Innovation, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, United States of America
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11
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Schacht K, Voss R. German fishery's adaptation to historic events, Western Baltic Sea, 1890-1950. AMBIO 2023; 52:155-170. [PMID: 36136262 PMCID: PMC9666574 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-022-01768-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Marine social-ecological systems (SES) have been providing important cultural, social, and economic services for many centuries. They are, however, increasingly threatened by fast changing environmental, ecological, and socio-economic conditions. As historical marine research is increasingly developing into a multidisciplinary endeavour, it offers outstanding points of departure to analyse historic events and the response and adaptation of the respective SES. Such knowledge helps to inform today's fisheries management and promotes successful management of changing ecosystems. Here, we compile and analyse historical data (1890-1950) of the German Western Baltic Sea fishery SES. This period is characterised by a series of strong impacts due to political, technological, economic, and ecological changes, such as two world wars, a global economic crisis, and other economic or ecological disasters. In our opinion, potential negative effects of those events were in the past attenuated by the system's high capacity to adapt. However, most of the fishers´ historic options on how to respond and adapt have recently become no longer available. New threats (e.g. climate change) have emerged instead. We conclude that today's fisheries management needs to integrate options of adaptation by exhausting all present or future opportunities. Adaptive fisheries management should not only focus on environmental change but need to include socio-economic change as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karoline Schacht
- Biodiversity Economics, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- WWF Germany, International WWF-Center for Marine Conservation, Moenckebergstr. 27, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Rudi Voss
- Biodiversity Economics, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Economics, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
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12
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Boyi JO, Heße E, Rohner S, Säurich J, Siebert U, Gilles A, Lehnert K. Deciphering Eurasian otter (
Lutra lutra
L.) and seal (
Phoca vitulina
L.;
Halichoerus grypus
F.) diet: metabarcoding tailored for fresh and saltwater fish species. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:5089-5106. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.16635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joy Ometere Boyi
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Büsum Germany
| | - Eileen Heße
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Büsum Germany
| | - Simon Rohner
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Büsum Germany
| | - Josefin Säurich
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Hannover Germany
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Büsum Germany
| | - Anita Gilles
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Büsum Germany
| | - Kristina Lehnert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation Büsum Germany
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13
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Katz H, Schelotto F, Bakker D, Castro-Ramos M, Gutiérrez-Expósito D, Panzera Y, Pérez R, Franco-Trecu V, Hernández E, Menéndez C, Meny P. Survey of selected pathogens in free-ranging pinnipeds in Uruguay. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2022; 150:69-83. [PMID: 35833546 DOI: 10.3354/dao03676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Marine mammals, regarded as sentinels of aquatic ecosystem health, are exposed to different pathogens and parasites under natural conditions. We surveyed live South American fur seals Arctocephalus australis and South American sea lions Otaria flavescens in Uruguay for Leptospira spp., canine distemper virus (CDV), Mycobacterium spp., Toxoplasma gondii, and Neospora caninum. Samples were collected from 2007 to 2013. The seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. was 37.6% positive, 50.9% negative, and 11.5% suspect for A. australis (n = 61) while for O. flavescens (n = 12) it was 67% positive, 25% negative, and 8% suspect. CDV RNA was not detected in any of the analyzed samples. Most animals tested seropositive to tuberculosis antigens by WiZo ELISA (A. australis: 29/30; O. flavescens: 20/20); reactivity varied with a novel ELISA test (antigens MPB70, MPB83, ESAT6 and MPB59). Seroprevalence against N. caninum and T. gondii was 6.7 and 13.3% positive for O. flavescens and 0 and 2.2% positive for A. australis respectively. To evaluate possible sources of infection for pinnipeds, wild rats Rattus rattus and semi-feral cats Felis catus were also tested for Leptospira spp. and T. gondii respectively. Water samples tested for Leptospira revealed saprofitic L. bioflexa. Pathogenic Leptospira were detected in the kidneys of 2 rats, and cats tested positive for T. gondii (100%). These results represent a substantial contribution to the study of the health status of wild pinnipeds in Uruguay.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Katz
- Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de la República (UdelaR), 11600 Montevideo, Uruguay
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14
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Gigliotti AK, Bowen WD, Hammill MO, Puryear WB, Runstadler J, Wenzel FW, Cammen KM. Sequence diversity and differences at the highly duplicated MHC-I gene reflect viral susceptibility in sympatric pinniped species. J Hered 2022; 113:525-537. [PMID: 35690352 PMCID: PMC9584807 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esac030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Differences in disease susceptibility among species can result from rapid host-pathogen coevolution and differences in host species ecology that affect the strength and direction of natural selection. Among two sympatric pinniped species that differ in sociality and putative disease exposure, we investigate observed differences in susceptibility through an analysis of a highly variable, duplicated gene family involved in the vertebrate immune response. Using high-throughput amplicon sequencing, we characterize diversity at the two exons that encode the peptide binding region of the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) gene in harbor (N = 60) and gray (N = 90) seal populations from the Northwest Atlantic. Across species, we identified 106 full-length exon 2 and 103 exon 3 sequence variants and a minimum of 11 duplicated MHC-I loci. The sequence variants clustered in 15 supertypes defined by the physiochemical properties of the peptide binding region, including a putatively novel Northwest Atlantic MHC-I diversity sublineage. Trans-species polymorphisms, dN/dS ratios, and evidence of gene conversion among supertypes are consistent with balancing selection acting on this gene. High functional redundancy suggests particularly strong selection among gray seals at the novel Northwest Atlantic MHC-I diversity sublineage. At exon 2, harbor seals had a significantly greater number of variants per individual than gray seals, but fewer supertypes. Supertype richness and private supertypes are hypothesized to contribute to observed differences in disease resistance between species, as consistently, across the North Atlantic and many disease outbreaks, gray seals appear to be more resistant to respiratory viruses than harbor seals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - W Don Bowen
- Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS, Canada
| | - Michael O Hammill
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Mont-Joli, QC, Canada
| | - Wendy B Puryear
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Jonathan Runstadler
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Frederick W Wenzel
- Protected Species Branch, NOAA, NMFS, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA, USA
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15
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Liu X, Schjøtt SR, Granquist SM, Rosing-Asvid A, Dietz R, Teilmann J, Galatius A, Cammen K, O Corry-Crowe G, Harding K, Härkönen T, Hall A, Carroll EL, Kobayashi Y, Hammill M, Stenson G, Frie AK, Lydersen C, Kovacs KM, Andersen LW, Hoffman JI, Goodman SJ, Vieira FG, Heller R, Moltke I, Tange Olsen M. Origin and expansion of the world's most widespread pinniped: range-wide population genomics of the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina). Mol Ecol 2022; 31:1682-1699. [PMID: 35068013 PMCID: PMC9306526 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) is the most widely distributed pinniped, occupying a wide variety of habitats and climatic zones across the Northern Hemisphere. Intriguingly, the harbour seal is also one of the most philopatric seals, raising questions as to how it colonised virtually the whole of the Northern Hemisphere. To shed light on the origin, remarkable range expansion, population structure and genetic diversity of this species, we used genotyping-by-sequencing to analyse ~13,500 biallelic SNPs from 286 individuals sampled from 22 localities across the species' range. Our results point to a Northeast Pacific origin, colonisation of the North Atlantic via the Canadian Arctic, and subsequent stepping-stone range expansions across the North Atlantic from North America to Europe, accompanied by a successive loss of genetic diversity. Our analyses further revealed a deep divergence between modern North Pacific and North Atlantic harbour seals, with finer-scale genetic structure at regional and local scales consistent with strong philopatry. The study provides new insights into the harbour seal's remarkable ability to colonise and adapt to a wide range of habitats. Furthermore, it has implications for current harbour seal subspecies delineations and highlights the need for international and national red lists and management plans to ensure the protection of genetically and demographically isolated populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodong Liu
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Sandra M Granquist
- Icelandic Seal Centre, Höfðabraut 6, 530, Hvammstangi, Iceland.,Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Institute of Freshwater Fisheries Fornubúðir 5, 220, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland
| | | | - Rune Dietz
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Jonas Teilmann
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Anders Galatius
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Greg O Corry-Crowe
- Wildlife Evolution and Behavior Program, Florida Atlantic University, USA
| | - Karin Harding
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Ailsa Hall
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, UK, KY16 8LB
| | - Emma L Carroll
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand
| | - Yumi Kobayashi
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Japan
| | - Mike Hammill
- Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 1000, Mont-Joli, QC, Canada
| | - Garry Stenson
- Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, P.O. Box 5667, St. John's NL, Canada
| | | | | | - Kit M Kovacs
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296, Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Joseph I Hoffman
- Department of Animal Behaviour, University of Bielefeld, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany.,British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 OET, UK
| | - Simon J Goodman
- School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, UK
| | - Filipe G Vieira
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospitalet, Denmark
| | - Rasmus Heller
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ida Moltke
- Section for Computational and RNA Biology, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
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16
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Siebert U, Stürznickel J, Schaffeld T, Oheim R, Rolvien T, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Wohlsein P, Lakemeyer J, Rohner S, Aroha Schick L, Gross S, Nachtsheim D, Ewers C, Becher P, Amling M, Morell M. Blast injury on harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from the Baltic Sea after explosions of deposits of World War II ammunition. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 159:107014. [PMID: 34883460 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.107014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Harbour porpoises are under pressure from increasing human activities. This includes the detonation of ammunition that was dumped in large amounts into the sea during and after World War II. In this context, forty-two British ground mines from World War II were cleared by means of blasting in the period from 28 to 31 August 2019 by a NATO unit in the German Exclusive Economic Zone within the marine protected area of Fehmarn Belt in the Baltic Sea, Germany. Between September and November 2019, 24 harbour porpoises were found dead in the period after those clearing events along the coastline of the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein and were investigated for direct and indirect effects of blast injury. Health evaluations were conducted including examinations of the brain, the air-filled (lungs and gastrointestinal tract) and acoustic organs (melon, acoustic fat in the lower jaw, ears and their surrounding tissues). The bone structure of the tympano-periotic complexes was examined using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT). In 8/24 harbour porpoises, microfractures of the malleus, dislocation of middle ear bones, bleeding, and haemorrhages in the melon, lower jaw and peribullar acoustic fat were detected, suggesting blast injury. In addition, one bycaught animal and another porpoise with signs of blunt force trauma also showed evidence of blast injury. The cause of death of the other 14 animals varied and remained unclear in two individuals. Due to the vulnerability and the conservation status of harbour porpoise populations in the Baltic Sea, noise mitigation measures must be improved to prevent any risk of injury. The data presented here highlight the importance of systematic investigations into the acute and chronic effects of blast and acoustic trauma in harbour porpoises, improving the understanding of underwater noise effects and herewith develop effective measures to protect the population level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany.
| | - Julian Stürznickel
- Department of Osteology and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Lottestr. 59, 22529 Hamburg, Germany; Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Orthopaedics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Schaffeld
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany
| | - Ralf Oheim
- Department of Osteology and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Lottestr. 59, 22529 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tim Rolvien
- Department of Osteology and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Lottestr. 59, 22529 Hamburg, Germany; Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Orthopaedics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ellen Prenger-Berninghoff
- Institute for Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Str. 85-87, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Peter Wohlsein
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Jan Lakemeyer
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany
| | - Simon Rohner
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany
| | - Luca Aroha Schick
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany
| | - Stephanie Gross
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany
| | - Dominik Nachtsheim
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany
| | - Christa Ewers
- Institute for Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Frankfurter Str. 85-87, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Paul Becher
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bünteweg 17, 30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Michael Amling
- Department of Osteology and Biomechanics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Lottestr. 59, 22529 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maria Morell
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany
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17
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Rohner S, Wohlsein P, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Ewers C, Waindok P, Strube C, Baechlein C, Becher P, Wilmes D, Rickerts V, Siebert U. Pathological Findings in Eurasian Otters ( Lutra lutra) Found Dead between 2015-2020 in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Animals (Basel) 2021; 12:59. [PMID: 35011165 PMCID: PMC8749874 DOI: 10.3390/ani12010059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In times of massive biodiversity loss and ongoing environmental crises, it is extremely important to ensure long-term conservation efforts of threatened species like Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra). To gain insights into the status of Northern Germany's otter population, 92 otters found dead in Schleswig-Holstein between 2015-2020 were collected and underwent detailed dissection with the aim to establish a monitoring program for this population. Examinations followed a protocol especially designed for otters, including various biological data assessments and extended sampling. The finding sites showed a clear concentration in the Continental region. Seasonal concentration differed among the years, yet peaks were seen from fall to winter. Overall, more males than females were found, although this differed among the years. The majority of otters that could be aged were between 1-3 years. Placental scars and pregnancy were recorded in only few females. Nutritional status was good in most cases. Infectious diseases found included Vagococcus lutrae, Toxoplasma gondii, and Emmonsia spp. A major cause of death was roadkill. Known sample bias in studies focusing on roadkill was considered in the finding interpretation. Continuation of the population health investigations is mandatory to analyze potential trends and to establish an actual monitoring program for Eurasian otters in Schleswig-Holstein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Rohner
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany;
| | - Peter Wohlsein
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany;
| | - Ellen Prenger-Berninghoff
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany; (E.P.-B.); (C.E.)
| | - Christa Ewers
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany; (E.P.-B.); (C.E.)
| | - Patrick Waindok
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Institute for Parasitology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (P.W.); (C.S.)
| | - Christina Strube
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Institute for Parasitology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (P.W.); (C.S.)
| | - Christine Baechlein
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (C.B.); (P.B.)
- Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES), Food and Veterinary Institute Braunschweig/Hannover, 30173 Hannover, Germany
| | - Paul Becher
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (C.B.); (P.B.)
| | - Dunja Wilmes
- Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (D.W.); (V.R.)
| | - Volker Rickerts
- Robert Koch Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany; (D.W.); (V.R.)
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany;
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18
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Puryear W, Sawatzki K, Bogomolni A, Hill N, Foss A, Stokholm I, Olsen MT, Nielsen O, Waltzek T, Goldstein T, Subramaniam K, Rodrigues TCS, Belaganahalli M, Doughty L, Becker L, Stokes A, Niemeyer M, Tuttle A, Romano T, Linhares MB, Fauquier D, Runstadler J. Longitudinal analysis of pinnipeds in the northwest Atlantic provides insights on endemic circulation of phocine distemper virus. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211841. [PMID: 34753354 PMCID: PMC8580419 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Phocine distemper virus (PDV) is a morbillivirus that circulates within pinnipeds in the North Atlantic. PDV has caused two known unusual mortality events (UMEs) in western Europe (1988, 2002), and two UMEs in the northwest Atlantic (2006, 2018). Infrequent cross-species transmission and waning immunity are believed to contribute to periodic outbreaks with high mortality in western Europe. The viral ecology of PDV in the northwest Atlantic is less well defined and outbreaks have exhibited lower mortality than those in western Europe. This study sought to understand the molecular and ecological processes underlying PDV infection in eastern North America. We provide phylogenetic evidence that PDV was introduced into northwest Atlantic pinnipeds by a single lineage and is now endemic in local populations. Serological and viral screening of pinniped surveillance samples from 2006 onward suggest there is continued circulation of PDV outside of UMEs among multiple species with and without clinical signs. We report six full genome sequences and nine partial sequences derived from harbour and grey seals in the northwest Atlantic from 2011 through 2018, including a possible regional variant. Work presented here provides a framework towards greater understanding of how recovering populations and shifting species may impact disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy Puryear
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Kaitlin Sawatzki
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Andrea Bogomolni
- Department of Marine Science, Safety and Environmental Protection, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Buzzards Bay, MA, USA
| | - Nichola Hill
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Alexa Foss
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Iben Stokholm
- Evolutionary Genomics Section, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Evolutionary Genomics Section, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ole Nielsen
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Thomas Waltzek
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Tracey Goldstein
- Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center and Department of Pathology, Immunology and Microbiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Kuttichantran Subramaniam
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Thais Carneiro Santos Rodrigues
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Manjunatha Belaganahalli
- Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries sciences University Hebbal, Bengaluru, India
| | | | - Lisa Becker
- National Marine Life Center, Buzzards Bay, MA, USA
| | | | - Misty Niemeyer
- International Fund for Animal Welfare, Yarmouth Port, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Deborah Fauquier
- Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Jonathan Runstadler
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA
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19
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Stokholm I, Puryear W, Sawatzki K, Knudsen SW, Terkelsen T, Becher P, Siebert U, Olsen MT. Emergence and radiation of distemper viruses in terrestrial and marine mammals. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211969. [PMID: 34702073 PMCID: PMC8548803 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Canine distemper virus (CDV) and phocine distemper virus (PDV) are major pathogens to terrestrial and marine mammals. Yet little is known about the timing and geographical origin of distemper viruses and to what extent it was influenced by environmental change and human activities. To address this, we (i) performed the first comprehensive time-calibrated phylogenetic analysis of the two distemper viruses, (ii) mapped distemper antibody and virus detection data from marine mammals collected between 1972 and 2018, and (iii) compiled historical reports on distemper dating back to the eighteenth century. We find that CDV and PDV diverged in the early seventeenth century. Modern CDV strains last shared a common ancestor in the nineteenth century with a marked radiation during the 1930s-1950s. Modern PDV strains are of more recent origin, diverging in the 1970s-1980s. Based on the compiled information on distemper distribution, the diverse host range of CDV and basal phylogenetic placement of terrestrial morbilliviruses, we hypothesize a terrestrial CDV-like ancestor giving rise to PDV in the North Atlantic. Moreover, given the estimated timing of distemper origin and radiation, we hypothesize a prominent role of environmental change such as the Little Ice Age, and human activities like globalization and war in distemper virus evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iben Stokholm
- Evolutionary Genomics Section, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, DK-1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstraße 6, Büsum 25761, Germany
| | - Wendy Puryear
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Kaitlin Sawatzki
- Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | | | - Thilde Terkelsen
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes vej 5, DK-2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark
| | - Paul Becher
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17, D-30559 Hannover, Germany
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstraße 6, Büsum 25761, Germany
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Evolutionary Genomics Section, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, DK-1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
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20
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Tinker MT, Bodkin JL, Bowen L, Ballachey B, Bentall G, Burdin A, Coletti H, Esslinger G, Hatfield BB, Kenner MC, Kloecker K, Konar B, Miles AK, Monson DH, Murray MJ, Weitzman BP, Estes JA. Sea otter population collapse in southwest Alaska: assessing ecological covariates, consequences, and causal factors. ECOL MONOGR 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecm.1472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Tim Tinker
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center 2885 Mission St. Santa Cruz California 95060 USA
| | - James L. Bodkin
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center 4210 University Dr. Anchorage Alaska 99508 USA
| | - Lizabeth Bowen
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center 3020 State University Drive Sacramento California 95819 USA
| | - Brenda Ballachey
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center 4210 University Dr. Anchorage Alaska 99508 USA
| | - Gena Bentall
- Sea Otter Savvy 1961 Main St. 199 Watsonville California 95076 USA
| | - Alexander Burdin
- Kamchatka Branch of Pacific Geographical Institute FED Russian Academy of Sciences Partizanskaya, 6 Petropavlovsk‐Kamchatsky 683000 Russia
| | - Heather Coletti
- Southwest Alaska Inventory and Monitoring Network National Park Service 4175 Geist Rd. Fairbanks Alaska 99709 USA
| | - George Esslinger
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center 4210 University Dr. Anchorage Alaska 99508 USA
| | - Brian B. Hatfield
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center 2885 Mission St. Santa Cruz California 95060 USA
| | - Michael C. Kenner
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center 2885 Mission St. Santa Cruz California 95060 USA
| | - Kimberly Kloecker
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center 4210 University Dr. Anchorage Alaska 99508 USA
| | - Brenda Konar
- College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences University of Alaska Fairbanks PO Box 757220 Fairbanks Alaska 99775 USA
| | - A. Keith Miles
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center 3020 State University Drive Sacramento California 95819 USA
| | - Daniel H. Monson
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center 4210 University Dr. Anchorage Alaska 99508 USA
| | | | - Benjamin P. Weitzman
- U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center 4210 University Dr. Anchorage Alaska 99508 USA
| | - James A. Estes
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California 130 McAllister Way Santa Cruz California 95060 USA
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21
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Saremi B, Kohls M, Liebig P, Siebert U, Jung K. Measuring reproducibility of virus metagenomics analyses using bootstrap samples from FASTQ-files. Bioinformatics 2021; 37:1068-1075. [PMID: 33135067 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btaa926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION High-throughput sequencing data can be affected by different technical errors, e.g. from probe preparation or false base calling. As a consequence, reproducibility of experiments can be weakened. In virus metagenomics, technical errors can result in falsely identified viruses in samples from infected hosts. We present a new resampling approach based on bootstrap sampling of sequencing reads from FASTQ-files in order to generate artificial replicates of sequencing runs which can help to judge the robustness of an analysis. In addition, we evaluate a mixture model on the distribution of read counts per virus to identify potentially false positive findings. RESULTS The evaluation of our approach on an artificially generated dataset with known viral sequence content shows in general a high reproducibility of uncovering viruses in sequencing data, i.e. the correlation between original and mean bootstrap read count was highly correlated. However, the bootstrap read counts can also indicate reduced or increased evidence for the presence of a virus in the biological sample. We also found that the mixture-model fits well to the read counts, and furthermore, it provides a higher accuracy on the original or on the bootstrap read counts than on the difference between both. The usefulness of our methods is further demonstrated on two freely available real-world datasets from harbor seals. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION We provide a Phyton tool, called RESEQ, available from https://github.com/babaksaremi/RESEQ that allows efficient generation of bootstrap reads from an original FASTQ-file. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babak Saremi
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover D-30559, Germany
| | - Moritz Kohls
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover D-30559, Germany
| | - Pamela Liebig
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover D-30559, Germany
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover D-30559, Germany
| | - Klaus Jung
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover D-30559, Germany
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22
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Bethune E, Schulz-Kornas E, Lehnert K, Siebert U, Kaiser TM. Tooth Microwear Texture in the Eastern Atlantic Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina vitulina) of the German Wadden Sea and Its Implications for Long Term Dietary and Ecosystem Changes. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.644019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine mammals are increasingly threatened in their habitat by various anthropogenic impacts. This is particularly evident in prey abundance. Understanding the dietary strategies of marine mammal populations can help predict implications for their future health status and is essential for their conservation. In this study we provide a striking example of a new dietary proxy in pinnipeds to document marine mammal diets using a dental record. In this novel approach, we used a combination of 49 parameters to establish a dental microwear texture (DMTA) as a dietary proxy of feeding behaviour in harbour seals. This method is an established approach to assess diets in terrestrial mammals, but has not yet been applied to pinnipeds. Our aim was to establish a protocol, opening DMTA to pinnipeds by investigating inter- and intra-individual variations. We analysed the 244 upper teeth of 78 Atlantic harbour seals (Phoca vitulina vitulina). The specimens were collected in 1988 along the North Sea coast (Wadden Sea, Germany) and are curated by the Zoological Institute of Kiel University, Germany. An increasing surface texture roughness from frontal to distal teeth was found and related to different prey processing biomechanics. Ten and five year old individuals were similar in their texture roughness, whereas males and females were similar to each other with the exception of their frontal dentition. Fall and summer specimens also featured no difference in texture roughness. We established the second to fourth postcanine teeth as reference tooth positions, as those were unaffected by age, sex, season, or intra-individual variation. In summary, applying indirect dietary proxies, such as DMTA, will allow reconstructing dietary traits of pinnipeds using existing skeletal collection material. Combining DMTA with time series analyses is a very promising approach to track health status in pinniped populations over the last decades. This approach opens new research avenues and could help detect dietary shifts in marine environments in the past and the future.
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23
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Abstract
Central place foragers are expected to offset travel costs between a central place and foraging areas by targeting productive feeding zones. Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) make multi-day foraging trips away from coastal haul-out sites presumably to target rich food resources, but periodic track points from telemetry tags may be insufficient to infer reliably where, and how often, foraging takes place. To study foraging behaviour during offshore trips, and assess what factors limit trip duration, we equipped harbour seals in the German Wadden Sea with high-resolution multi-sensor bio-logging tags, recording 12 offshore trips from 8 seals. Using acceleration transients as a proxy for prey capture attempts, we found that foraging rates during travel to and from offshore sites were comparable to offshore rates. Offshore foraging trips may, therefore, reflect avoidance of intra-specific competition rather than presence of offshore foraging hotspots. Time spent resting increased by approx. 37 min/day during trips suggesting that a resting deficit rather than patch depletion may influence trip length. Foraging rates were only weakly correlated with surface movement patterns highlighting the value of integrating multi-sensor data from on-animal bio-logging tags (GPS, depth, accelerometers and magnetometers) to infer behaviour and habitat use.
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24
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Silva WTAF, Bottagisio E, Härkönen T, Galatius A, Olsen MT, Harding KC. Risk for overexploiting a seemingly stable seal population: influence of multiple stressors and hunting. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Willian T. A. F. Silva
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Elio Bottagisio
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
| | | | - Anders Galatius
- Section for Marine Mammal Research Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Frederiksborgvej 399 Roskilde4000Denmark
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics Globe Institute University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Karin C. Harding
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Sweden
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25
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Silva WTAF, Harding KC, Marques GM, Bäcklin BM, Sonne C, Dietz R, Kauhala K, Desforges JP. Life cycle bioenergetics of the gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) in the Baltic Sea: Population response to environmental stress. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 145:106145. [PMID: 33038624 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife population dynamics are shaped by multiple natural and anthropogenic factors, including predation, competition, stressful life history events, and external environmental stressors such as diseases and pollution. Marine mammals such as gray seals rely on extensive blubber layers for insulation and energy storage, making this tissue critical for survival and reproduction. This lipid rich blubber layer also accumulates hazardous fat soluble pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), that can directly impact adipose function or be mobilized during periods of negative energy balance or transferred to offspring to exert further impacts on target tissues or vulnerable life stages. To predict how marine mammals will respond to ecological and anthropogenic stressors, it is necessary to use process-based modelling approaches that integrate environmental inputs, full species life history, and stressor impacts with individual dynamics of energy intake, storage, and utilization. The purpose of this study was to develop a full lifecycle dynamic energy budget and individual based model (DEB-IBM) that captured Baltic gray seal physiology and life history, and showcase potential applications of the model to predict population responses to select stressors known to threaten gray seals and other marine mammals around the world. We explore variations of three ecologically important stressors using phenomenological simulations: food limitation, endocrine disrupting chemicals that reduce fertility, and infectious disease. Using our calibrated DEB-IBM for Baltic gray seals, we found that continuous incremental food limitation can be more detrimental to population size than short random events of starvation, and further, that the effect of endocrine disruptors on population growth and structure is delayed due to bioaccumulation, and that communicable diseases significantly decrease population growth even when spillover events are relatively less frequent. One important finding is the delayed effect on population growth rate from some stressors, several years after the exposure period, resulting from a decline in somatic growth, increased age at maturation and decreased fecundity. Such delayed responses are ignored in current models of population viability and can be important in the correct assessment of population extinction risks. The model presented here provides a test bed on which effects of new hazardous substances and different scenarios of future environmental change affecting food availability and/or seal energetic demands can be investigated. Thus, the framework provides a tool for better understanding how diverse environmental stressors affect marine mammal populations and can be used to guide scientifically based management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willian T A F Silva
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Karin C Harding
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Gonçalo M Marques
- Marine, Environment & Technology Center (MARETEC), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Christian Sonne
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Rune Dietz
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Kaarina Kauhala
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Itäinen Pitkäkatu, Turku, Finland
| | - Jean-Pierre Desforges
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark; Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste Anne de Bellevue, Canada.
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26
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Male grey seal commits fatal sexual interaction with adult female harbour seals in the German Wadden Sea. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13679. [PMID: 32792537 PMCID: PMC7426965 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69986-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Males of several seal species are known to show aggressive copulating behaviour, which can lead to injuries to or suffocation of females. In the North Sea, grey seal predation on harbour seals including sexual harassment is documented and represents violent interspecific interaction. In this case series, we report pathological and molecular/genetic findings of 11 adult female harbour seals which were found dead in Schleswig–Holstein, Germany, within 41 days. Several organs of all animals showed haemorrhages and high loads of bacteria, indicating their septic spread. All females were pregnant or had recently been pregnant. Abortion was confirmed in three cases. Lacerations were seen in the uterus and vagina in six cases, in which histology of three individuals revealed severe suppurative inflammation with intralesional spermatozoa. Molecular analysis of vaginal swabs and paraffin-embedded samples of the vagina identified grey seal DNA, suggesting violent interspecific sexual interaction with fatal outcome due to septicaemia. This is the first report of female harbour seals dying after coercive copulation by a male grey seal in the Wadden Sea.
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27
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Sanderson CE, Alexander KA. Unchartered waters: Climate change likely to intensify infectious disease outbreaks causing mass mortality events in marine mammals. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:4284-4301. [PMID: 32558115 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Infectious disease emergence has increased significantly over the last 30 years, with mass mortality events (MMEs) associated with epizootics becoming increasingly common. Factors influencing these events have been widely studied in terrestrial systems, but remain relatively unexplored in marine mammals. Infectious disease-induced MMEs (ID MMEs) have not been reported ubiquitously among marine mammal species, indicating that intrinsic (host) and/or extrinsic (environmental) ecological factors may influence this heterogeneity. We assess the occurrence of ID MMEs (1955-2018) across extant marine mammals (n = 129) in relation to key life-history characteristics (sociality, trophic level, habitat breadth) and environmental variables (season, sea surface temperature [SST] anomalies, El Niño occurrence). Our results show that ID MMEs have been reported in 14% of marine mammal species (95% CI 9%-21%), with 72% (n = 36; 95% CI 56%-84%) of these events caused predominantly by viruses, primarily morbillivirus and influenza A. Bacterial pathogens caused 25% (95% CI 14%-41%) of MMEs, with only one being the result of a protozoan pathogen. Overall, virus-induced MMEs involved a greater number of fatalities per event compared to other pathogens. No association was detected between the occurrence of ID MMEs and host characteristics, such as sociality or trophic level, but ID MMEs did occur more frequently in semiaquatic species (pinnipeds) compared to obligate ocean dwellers (cetaceans; χ2 = 9.6, p = .002). In contrast, extrinsic factors significantly influenced ID MMEs, with seasonality linked to frequency (χ2 = 19.85, p = .0002) and severity of these events, and global yearly SST anomalies positively correlated with their temporal occurrence (Z = 3.43, p = 2.7e-04). No significant association was identified between El Niño and ID MME occurrence (Z = 0.28, p = .81). With climate change forecasted to increase SSTs and the frequency of extreme seasonal weather events, epizootics causing MMEs are likely to intensify with significant consequences for marine mammal survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire E Sanderson
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for African Resources: Animals, Communities and Land use (CARACAL), Kasane, Botswana
| | - Kathleen A Alexander
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for African Resources: Animals, Communities and Land use (CARACAL), Kasane, Botswana
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28
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Nikolic N, Thompson P, de Bruyn M, Macé M, Chevalet C. Evolutionary history of a Scottish harbour seal population. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9167. [PMID: 32728487 PMCID: PMC7357561 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Efforts to conserve marine mammals are often constrained by uncertainty over their population history. Here, we examine the evolutionary history of a harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) population in the Moray Firth, northeast Scotland using genetic tools and microsatellite markers to explore population change. Previous fine-scale analysis of UK harbour seal populations revealed three clusters in the UK, with a northeastern cluster that included our Moray Firth study population. Our analysis revealed that the Moray Firth cluster is an independent genetic group, with similar levels of genetic diversity across each of the localities sampled. These samples were used to assess historic abundance and demographic events in the Moray Firth population. Estimates of current genetic diversity and effective population size were low, but the results indicated that this population has remained at broadly similar levels following the population bottleneck that occurred after post-glacial recolonization of the area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natacha Nikolic
- ARBRE (Reunion Island Biodiversity Research Agency), Saint-Leu, La Réunion
- Génétique Physiologie et Systèmes d’Elevage - UMR1388, INRAE, Castanet Tolosan, France
| | - Paul Thompson
- Lighthouse Field Station, Sciences School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, United Kingdom
| | - Mark de Bruyn
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Matthias Macé
- Laboratoire d’Anthropologie Moléculaire et d’Imagerie de Synthèse - UMR 5288, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Claude Chevalet
- Génétique Physiologie et Systèmes d’Elevage - UMR1388, INRAE, Castanet Tolosan, France
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29
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Carroll EL, Hall A, Olsen MT, Onoufriou AB, Gaggiotti OE, Russell DJ. Perturbation drives changing metapopulation dynamics in a top marine predator. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200318. [PMID: 32486973 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Metapopulation theory assumes a balance between local decays/extinctions and local growth/new colonisations. Here we investigate whether recent population declines across part of the UK harbour seal range represent normal metapopulation dynamics or are indicative of perturbations potentially threatening the metapopulation viability, using 20 years of population trends, location tracking data (n = 380), and UK-wide, multi-generational population genetic data (n = 269). First, we use microsatellite data to show that two genetic groups previously identified are distinct metapopulations: northern and southern. Then, we characterize the northern metapopulation dynamics in two different periods, before and after the start of regional declines (pre-/peri-perturbation). We identify source-sink dynamics across the northern metapopulation, with two putative source populations apparently supporting three likely sink populations, and a recent metapopulation-wide disruption of migration coincident with the perturbation. The northern metapopulation appears to be in decay, highlighting that changes in local populations can lead to radical alterations in the overall metapopulation's persistence and dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Carroll
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.,Scottish Oceans Institute and School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK.,Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Ailsa Hall
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Aubrie B Onoufriou
- Scottish Oceans Institute and School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Oscar E Gaggiotti
- Scottish Oceans Institute and School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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30
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Sonne C, Siebert U, Gonnsen K, Desforges JP, Eulaers I, Persson S, Roos A, Bäcklin BM, Kauhala K, Tange Olsen M, Harding KC, Treu G, Galatius A, Andersen-Ranberg E, Gross S, Lakemeyer J, Lehnert K, Lam SS, Peng W, Dietz R. Health effects from contaminant exposure in Baltic Sea birds and marine mammals: A review. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 139:105725. [PMID: 32311628 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Here we review contaminant exposure and related health effects in six selected Baltic key species. Sentinel species included are common eider, white-tailed eagle, harbour porpoise, harbour seal, ringed seal and grey seal. The review represents the first attempt of summarizing available information and baseline data for these biomonitoring key species exposed to industrial hazardous substances focusing on anthropogenic persistent organic pollutants (POPs). There was only limited information available for white-tailed eagles and common eider while extensive information exist on POP exposure and health effects in the four marine mammal species. Here we report organ-tissue endpoints (pathologies) and multiple biomarkers used to evaluate health and exposure of key species to POPs, respectively, over the past several decades during which episodes of significant population declines have been reported. Our review shows that POP exposure affects the reproductive system and survival through immune suppression and endocrine disruption, which have led to population-level effects on seals and white-tailed eagles in the Baltic. It is notable that many legacy contaminants, which have been banned for decades, still appear to affect Baltic wildlife. With respect to common eiders, changes in food composition, quality and contaminant exposure seem to have population effects which need to be investigated further, especially during the incubation period where the birds fast. Since new industrial contaminants continuously leak into the environment, we recommend continued monitoring of them in sentinel species in the Baltic, identifying possible effects linked to climate change, and modelling of population level effects of contaminants and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Sonne
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark; Henan Province Engineering Research Center for Biomass Value-added Products, School of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou CN-450002, China.
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany.
| | - Katharina Gonnsen
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany.
| | - Jean-Pierre Desforges
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Igor Eulaers
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Sara Persson
- Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Frescativägen 40, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Anna Roos
- Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Frescativägen 40, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Britt-Marie Bäcklin
- Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Frescativägen 40, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Kaarina Kauhala
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Luke. Itäinen Pitkäkatu 4 A, FI-20520 Turku, Finland.
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
| | - Karin C Harding
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, 25 SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Gabriele Treu
- German Environment Agency, Section Chemicals, Wörlitzer Platz 1, 06844 Dessau-Roßlau, Germany.
| | - Anders Galatius
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Emilie Andersen-Ranberg
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health, Dyrlægevej 16, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
| | - Stephanie Gross
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany.
| | - Jan Lakemeyer
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany.
| | - Kristina Lehnert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstr. 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany.
| | - Su Shiung Lam
- Henan Province Engineering Research Center for Biomass Value-added Products, School of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou CN-450002, China; Pyrolysis Technology Research Group, Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries (Akuatrop) & Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development (Bio-D Tropika), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, MY-21030 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia.
| | - Wanxi Peng
- Henan Province Engineering Research Center for Biomass Value-added Products, School of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou CN-450002, China
| | - Rune Dietz
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
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31
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Lidström S, Sörlin S, Svedäng H. Decline and diversity in Swedish seas: Environmental narratives in marine history, science and policy. AMBIO 2020; 49:1114-1121. [PMID: 31520361 PMCID: PMC7067711 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-019-01247-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2019] [Revised: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Before the mid-twentieth century, there was no comprehensive narrative about empirical conditions in Swedish seas. Around 1970, this view changed profoundly. In line with growing research and the emergence of 'the environment' as a defining concept, conditions in Swedish seas were framed as a 'narrative of decline'. Marine scientists have since recorded more diverse developments than are described by an overall declensionist narrative. Data show trends of interrupted decline, variability and even recovery, taking place at least partly in response to effective policy and legislation. We suggest that beyond the specialised fields of marine sciences and marine environmental history, the overarching narrative of decline has persisted, paying little attention to local and regional particularities as well as cultural and political dimensions of the marine environment. This overly uniform narrative risks obscuring historical reality and, hence, fails to adequately inform policy and the public about developments and outcomes of interventions in Swedish seas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Lidström
- Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sverker Sörlin
- Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Henrik Svedäng
- Swedish Institute for the Marine Environment (SIME), Gothenburg University, Box 260, 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
- Baltic Sea Centre, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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Sonne C, Lakemeyer J, Desforges JP, Eulaers I, Persson S, Stokholm I, Galatius A, Gross S, Gonnsen K, Lehnert K, Andersen-Ranberg EU, Tange Olsen M, Dietz R, Siebert U. A review of pathogens in selected Baltic Sea indicator species. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 137:105565. [PMID: 32070804 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Here we review the state-of-the-art of pathogens in select marine and terrestrial key species of the Baltic Sea, i.e. ringed seal (Pusa hispida), harbour seal (Phoca vitulina), grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), common eider (Somateria mollissima), pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) and white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). This review is the first to merge and present available information and baseline data for the FP7 BONUS BaltHealth project: Baltic Sea multilevel health impacts on key species of anthropogenic hazardous substances. Understanding the spread, prevalence and effects of wildlife pathogens is important for the understanding of animal and ecosystem health, ecosystem function and services, as well as human exposure to zoonotic diseases. This review summarises the occurrence of parasites, viruses and bacteria over the past six decades, including severe outbreaks of Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV), the seroprevalence of Influenza A and the recent increase in seal parasites. We show that Baltic high trophic key species are exposed to multiple bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases. Parasites, such as C. semerme and P. truncatum present in the colon and liver Baltic grey seals, respectively, and anisakid nematodes require particular monitoring due to their effects on animal health. In addition, distribution of existing viral and bacterial pathogens, along with the emergence and spread of new pathogens, need to be monitored in order to assess the health status of key Baltic species. Relevant bacteria are Streptococcus spp., Brucella spp., Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Mycoplasma spp. and Leptospira interrogans; relevant viruses are influenza virus, distemper virus, pox virus and herpes virus. This is of special importance as some of the occurring pathogens are zoonotic and thus also pose a potential risk for human health. Marine mammal handlers, as well as civilians that by chance encounter marine mammals, need to be aware of this risk. It is therefore important to continue the monitoring of diseases affecting key Baltic species in order to assess their relationship to population dynamics and their potential threat to humans. These infectious agents are valuable indicators of host ecology and can act as bioindicators of distribution, migration, diet and behaviour of marine mammals and birds, as well as of climate change and changes in food web dynamics. In addition, infectious diseases are linked to pollutant exposure, overexploitation, immune suppression and subsequent inflammatory disease. Ultimately, these diseases affect the health of the entire ecosystem and, consequently, ecosystem function and services. As global warming is continuously increasing, the impact of global change on infectious disease patterns is important to monitor in Baltic key species in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Sonne
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Jan Lakemeyer
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstrasse 6, 25761 Buesum, Germany.
| | - Jean-Pierre Desforges
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Igor Eulaers
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Sara Persson
- Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Iben Stokholm
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstrasse 6, 25761 Buesum, Germany; Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
| | - Anders Galatius
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Stephanie Gross
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstrasse 6, 25761 Buesum, Germany.
| | - Katharina Gonnsen
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstrasse 6, 25761 Buesum, Germany.
| | - Kristina Lehnert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstrasse 6, 25761 Buesum, Germany.
| | - Emilie U Andersen-Ranberg
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark; Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health, Dyrlægevej 16, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
| | - Rune Dietz
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre (ARC), Aarhus University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Frederiksborgvej 399, PO Box 358, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Werftstrasse 6, 25761 Buesum, Germany.
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Ludes-Wehrmeister E, Wohlsein P, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Ewers C, Woelfing B, Lehnert K, Siebert U. Intestinal displacements in older harbour and grey seals. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2020; 138:215-225. [PMID: 32213669 DOI: 10.3354/dao03455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Intestinal displacements including volvulus, torsion and invagination have been reported in various terrestrial and marine mammals. We conducted pathological investigations on 157 seals that had either stranded on the coasts of the North or Baltic Sea between 1996 and 2015 (115 harbour seals, >19 mo old; 21 grey seals, >13 mo old) or died while in human care (18 harbour seals, >19 mo old; 3 grey seals, >13 mo old). Intestinal displacements were found in 23% of the examined free-living harbour seals, in 5% of the stranded grey seals and in 17% of the harbour seals in human care. Intestinal volvulus, found in 24 cases, was characterized by twisting of the intestine along the mesenteric axis (180-540°) resulting in vascular obstruction and haemorrhagic infarction. In harbour seals, the sex ratio of individuals suffering from volvulus tended to be biased towards females during April to June, suggesting an elevated risk for pregnant females around birth time. Invagination was detected in 11 cases, 5 of which suffered from additional volvulus. Pathological findings associated with intestinal volvulus and invagination were sero-haemorrhagic effusions in the abdominal cavity. Enteritis, parasitic infection with gastric nematodes and intestinal acanthocephalans and bacterial infection with predominantly Clostridium perfringens and Escherichia coli were observed in most of the affected animals. In total, 30 investigated harbour and grey seals suffered from intestinal displacements. Pregnant females seemed to be more vulnerable around birth time. Causes of intestinal displacements remain undetermined, but are likely multifactorial.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Ludes-Wehrmeister
- Institute of Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 25761 Büsum, Germany
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Lakemeyer J, Lehnert K, Woelfing B, Pawliczka I, Silts M, Dähne M, von Vietinghoff V, Wohlsein P, Siebert U. Pathological findings in North Sea and Baltic grey seal and harbour seal intestines associated with acanthocephalan infections. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2020; 138:97-110. [PMID: 32103824 DOI: 10.3354/dao03440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Grey seals Halichoerus grypus and harbour seals Phoca vitulina are common seal species in the North and Baltic seas and final hosts of Corynosoma acanthocephalans. C. strumosum and C. magdaleni infect the small intestines of both seal species. In contrast to harbour seals, Baltic grey seals in the past have regularly displayed severe C. semerme infections in the caecum and colon, with associated tunica muscularis hypertrophy, inflammation and ulcerations as part of the Baltic seal disease complex (BSDC). Pathogenesis and correlation of acanthocephalan infections with these lesions are still unknown. This study describes the intestinal pathology and parasitic distribution in each seal species. Grey seal (n = 83) and harbour seal (n = 1156) intestines of all age groups and sexes, collected in Poland, Germany and Estonia from 1998 to 2017, were investigated. Most harbour seals came from the North Sea, whereas grey seals were predominantly derived from the Baltic Sea. Both species featured mild to moderate small intestinal infections. Grey seals showed colonic infections not found in harbour seals and featured a chronic erosive to ulcerative, eosinophilic or lympho-plasmacytic colitis with tunica muscularis hypertrophy, indicating still prevailing clinical signs of the BSDC. Harbour seals displayed granulomatous, eosinophilic, lympho-plasmacytic or catarrhal enteritis. The prevalence of acanthocephalan infections in harbour seals increased from 2012 onwards. Furthermore, significant associations between acanthocephalan infection and the presence of intestinal inflammation were found for both seal species. This study suggests that the level of acanthocephalan infection and associated lesions are suitable seal population health indicators, with the colon being a specific target organ for Baltic grey seal health monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Lakemeyer
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Werftstrasse 6, 25761 Büsum, Germany
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35
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Detection and Preliminary Characterization of Phocine Distemper Virus in a Stranded Harp Seal ( Pagophilus groenlandicus) from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. J Wildl Dis 2020; 56:646-650. [PMID: 31917631 DOI: 10.7589/2019-10-267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A lethargic juvenile male harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) in poor nutritional condition was found on the beach on the north shore of Prince Edward Island, Canada, in June 2017. Microscopic examination revealed a severe nonsuppurative encephalitis positive for morbillivirus antigen on immunohistochemistry. Virus isolation attempts were negative. However, phocine distemper virus (PDV) was detected in brain tissue RNA extracts by a seminested reverse transcription PCR that targeted the paramyxovirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (pol) gene. Comparison of the resulting partial PDV pol nucleotide sequence revealed it was nearly identical to PDV strains isolated from eastern Atlantic harbor seals (Phoca vitulina vitulina) during a 1988 epizootic in the Wadden and Irish seas, and a western Atlantic harbor seal (Phoca vitulina concolor) that stranded in Maine, US, in 2006. Our study confirmed that closely related PDV strains are circulating in multiple seal species along the coastlines of North America and Europe.
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Esquible JA, Burek-Huntington K, Atkinson S, Klink AC, Bortz E, Goldstein TA, Beckmen K, Pabilonia K, Tiller R. Pathological findings and survey for pathogens associated with reproductive failure in perinatal Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2019; 137:131-144. [PMID: 31854331 DOI: 10.3354/dao03421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Steller sea lions (SSLs) Eumetopias jubatus experienced a population decline in the 1960s, leading to the listing of the western stock as endangered and the eastern stock as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act. A decrease of births in the western stock beginning in the late 1960s indicates that reproductive failure may have contributed to the decline. We evaluated the role pathogens play in spontaneous abortions, premature births and neonatal deaths in SSLs. Archived tissues from carcasses (n = 19) collected in Alaska from 2002 to 2015 were tested by PCR for Coxiella burnetii, Brucella spp., Chlamydia and morbilliviruses. Animals examined included 47% premature pups, 32% aborted fetuses, 11% neonates and 11% intrauterine fetuses. Gross necropsy and histology findings were summarized in the context of the PCR findings. Tissues were negative for Chlamydia and C. burnetii. Brucella spp. were detected in the lung tissues of 3 animals, including 1 positive for the ST27 strain, the first detection of Brucella spp. DNA in SSLs. Phocine distemper virus was detected in 3 animals in 2 skin lesions and 1 placenta by hemi-nested diagnostic qRT-PCR. Both skin and the placental lesions had vesiculoulcerative changes, and 1 skin lesion contained inclusion bodies in syncytia and upon histologic examination, suggesting that the lesions may be associated with an infection reminiscent of phocine distemper virus, the first in SSLs. We highlight the continuing need for disease surveillance programs to improve our understanding of the prevalence and potential population impacts of these infectious disease agents for pinnipeds in Alaskan waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Esquible
- College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 107 Alex Hately, Bethel, AK 99559, USA
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Viral emergence in marine mammals in the North Pacific may be linked to Arctic sea ice reduction. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15569. [PMID: 31700005 PMCID: PMC6838065 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51699-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change-driven alterations in Arctic environments can influence habitat availability, species distributions and interactions, and the breeding, foraging, and health of marine mammals. Phocine distemper virus (PDV), which has caused extensive mortality in Atlantic seals, was confirmed in sea otters in the North Pacific Ocean in 2004, raising the question of whether reductions in sea ice could increase contact between Arctic and sub-Arctic marine mammals and lead to viral transmission across the Arctic Ocean. Using data on PDV exposure and infection and animal movement in sympatric seal, sea lion, and sea otter species sampled in the North Pacific Ocean from 2001-2016, we investigated the timing of PDV introduction, risk factors associated with PDV emergence, and patterns of transmission following introduction. We identified widespread exposure to and infection with PDV across the North Pacific Ocean beginning in 2003 with a second peak of PDV exposure and infection in 2009; viral transmission across sympatric marine mammal species; and association of PDV exposure and infection with reductions in Arctic sea ice extent. Peaks of PDV exposure and infection following 2003 may reflect additional viral introductions among the diverse marine mammals in the North Pacific Ocean linked to change in Arctic sea ice extent.
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38
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Näpflin K, O'Connor EA, Becks L, Bensch S, Ellis VA, Hafer-Hahmann N, Harding KC, Lindén SK, Olsen MT, Roved J, Sackton TB, Shultz AJ, Venkatakrishnan V, Videvall E, Westerdahl H, Winternitz JC, Edwards SV. Genomics of host-pathogen interactions: challenges and opportunities across ecological and spatiotemporal scales. PeerJ 2019; 7:e8013. [PMID: 31720122 PMCID: PMC6839515 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary genomics has recently entered a new era in the study of host-pathogen interactions. A variety of novel genomic techniques has transformed the identification, detection and classification of both hosts and pathogens, allowing a greater resolution that helps decipher their underlying dynamics and provides novel insights into their environmental context. Nevertheless, many challenges to a general understanding of host-pathogen interactions remain, in particular in the synthesis and integration of concepts and findings across a variety of systems and different spatiotemporal and ecological scales. In this perspective we aim to highlight some of the commonalities and complexities across diverse studies of host-pathogen interactions, with a focus on ecological, spatiotemporal variation, and the choice of genomic methods used. We performed a quantitative review of recent literature to investigate links, patterns and potential tradeoffs between the complexity of genomic, ecological and spatiotemporal scales undertaken in individual host-pathogen studies. We found that the majority of studies used whole genome resolution to address their research objectives across a broad range of ecological scales, especially when focusing on the pathogen side of the interaction. Nevertheless, genomic studies conducted in a complex spatiotemporal context are currently rare in the literature. Because processes of host-pathogen interactions can be understood at multiple scales, from molecular-, cellular-, and physiological-scales to the levels of populations and ecosystems, we conclude that a major obstacle for synthesis across diverse host-pathogen systems is that data are collected on widely diverging scales with different degrees of resolution. This disparity not only hampers effective infrastructural organization of the data but also data granularity and accessibility. Comprehensive metadata deposited in association with genomic data in easily accessible databases will allow greater inference across systems in the future, especially when combined with open data standards and practices. The standardization and comparability of such data will facilitate early detection of emerging infectious diseases as well as studies of the impact of anthropogenic stressors, such as climate change, on disease dynamics in humans and wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Näpflin
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Emily A O'Connor
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Lutz Becks
- Aquatic Ecology and Evolution, Limnological Institute University Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Staffan Bensch
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Vincenzo A Ellis
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Nina Hafer-Hahmann
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany.,EAWAG, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Karin C Harding
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Gothenburg Centre for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology, Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Sara K Lindén
- Department of Medical Chemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Morten T Olsen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jacob Roved
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Timothy B Sackton
- Informatics Group, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
| | - Allison J Shultz
- Ornithology Department, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Vignesh Venkatakrishnan
- Department of Medical Chemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Elin Videvall
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Helena Westerdahl
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Jamie C Winternitz
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany.,Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Scott V Edwards
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America.,Gothenburg Centre for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology, Chalmers University of Technology and University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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Centelleghe C, Da Dalt L, Marsili L, Zanetti R, Fernandez A, Arbelo M, Sierra E, Castagnaro M, Di Guardo G, Mazzariol S. Insights Into Dolphins' Immunology: Immuno-Phenotypic Study on Mediterranean and Atlantic Stranded Cetaceans. Front Immunol 2019; 10:888. [PMID: 31110505 PMCID: PMC6499212 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunology of marine mammals is a relatively understudied field and its monitoring plays an important role in the individual and group management of these animals, along with an increasing value as an environmental health indicator. This study was aimed at implementing the knowledge on the immune response in cetaceans stranded along the Italian coastline to provide a baseline useful for assessing the immune status of bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) and striped (Stenella coeruleoalba) dolphins. In particular, since the Mediterranean Sea is considered a heavily polluted basin, a comparison with animals living in open waters such as the Atlantic Ocean was made. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded spleen, thymus, and lymph node tissues from 16 animals stranded along Italian and 11 cetaceans from the Canary Island shores were sampled within 48 h from death. Information regarding stranding sites, gender, and age as well as virologic, microbiological, and parasitological investigations, and the cause and/or the death mechanism were also collected in order to carry out statistical analyses. Selected tissues were routinely stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and with immunohistochemical techniques (IHC). For IHC analysis, anti-human CD5 monoclonal mouse antibody to identify T lymphocytes, CD20 monoclonal mouse antibody for the identification of mature B lymphocytes and HLA-DR antigen (alpha-chain) monoclonal mouse antibody for the identification of the major histocompatibility complex type II were previously validated for both species by Western-blotting technique. T-test method applied to quantitative evaluation of IHC positive cells showed a significant relationship between the number of (expression) of CD20 stained lymphocytes and normal and hypoplastic lymph nodes, respectively. No other significant correlations were noticed. Analyses for organochlorines (OC) compounds were performed in animals (n°5) having frozen blubber tissue available. A simple linear regression was calculated to predict if the amount of OCs could influence the number of inflammatory cell subpopulations and a moderate negative correlation was found between the presence of high quantity of contaminants and the number of T lymphocytes. Future analysis should be aimed to understand the effect of the major immunomodulatory pathogens on sub-populations of B and T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Centelleghe
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Laura Da Dalt
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Letizia Marsili
- Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - Rossella Zanetti
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Antonio Fernandez
- Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety, Universitad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain
| | - Manuel Arbelo
- Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety, Universitad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain
| | - Eva Sierra
- Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety, Universitad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain
| | - Massimo Castagnaro
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | | | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
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40
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Stokholm I, Härkönen T, Harding KC, Siebert U, Lehnert K, Dietz R, Teilmann J, Galatius A, Worsøe Havmøller L, Carroll EL, Hall A, Olsen MT. Phylogenomic insights to the origin and spread of phocine distemper virus in European harbour seals in 1988 and 2002. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2019; 133:47-56. [PMID: 31089002 DOI: 10.3354/dao03328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The 1988 and 2002 phocine distemper virus (PDV) outbreaks in European harbour seals Phoca vitulina are among the largest mass mortality events recorded in marine mammals. Despite its large impact on harbour seal population numbers, and 3 decades of studies, many questions regarding the spread and temporal origin of PDV remain unanswered. Here, we sequenced and analysed 7123 bp of the PDV genome, including the coding and non-coding regions of the entire P, M, F and H genes in tissues from 44 harbour seals to shed new light on the origin and spread of PDV in 1988 and 2002. The phylogenetic analyses trace the origin of the PDV strain causing the 1988 outbreak to between May 1987 and April 1988, while the origin of the strain causing the 2002 outbreak can be traced back to between June 2001 and May 2002. The analyses further point to several independent introductions of PDV in 1988, possibly linked to a southward mass immigration of harp seals in the winter and spring of 1987-1988. The vector for the 2002 outbreak is unknown, but the epidemiological analyses suggest the subsequent spread of PDV from the epicentre in the Kattegat, Denmark, to haul-out sites in the North Sea through several independent introductions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iben Stokholm
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
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41
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Cammen KM, Rasher DB, Steneck RS. Predator recovery, shifting baselines, and the adaptive management challenges they create. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
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42
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Donohue MJ, Masura J, Gelatt T, Ream R, Baker JD, Faulhaber K, Lerner DT. Evaluating exposure of northern fur seals, Callorhinus ursinus, to microplastic pollution through fecal analysis. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2019; 138:213-221. [PMID: 30660265 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.11.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Environmental microplastics are widely documented in marine life and bioaccumulation may present risks to marine predators. Investigations of microplastics in marine mammals are increasing, though none have examined animals routinely consumed by humans. Here, we investigate microplastic exposure in the northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus), a species consumed by humans, using fecal material. We examined 44 feces (scat) at sites encompassing the seals' eastern Pacific range. Multiple contamination control measures were implemented, including field and laboratory controls. Fragments were the most common microplastic recovered, in 55% (24/44) of scat and no controls (range 1 to 86 fragments/scat, mean 16.6, sd 19.1). Microplastic fibers were recovered from 41% of scats (18/44), though some controls contained fibers confounding fiber results. Fecal analysis documented northern fur seal exposure to microplastics throughout their eastern Pacific range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary J Donohue
- University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, 2525 Correa Road, Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics 238, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA; University of Hawai'i Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, 2540 Dole St., Holmes Hall 283, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
| | - Julie Masura
- Center for Urban Waters, University of Washington, Tacoma, 1900 Commerce St., Tacoma, WA 98402, USA
| | - Thomas Gelatt
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center/NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E. F/AKC3, Seattle, WA 98115-6349, USA
| | - Rolf Ream
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center/NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E. F/AKC3, Seattle, WA 98115-6349, USA
| | - Jason D Baker
- Protected Species Division, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, NOAA IRC, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818, USA
| | - Kayleigh Faulhaber
- Center for Urban Waters, University of Washington, Tacoma, 1900 Commerce St., Tacoma, WA 98402, USA
| | - Darren T Lerner
- University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, 2525 Correa Road, Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics 238, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA; University of Hawai'i Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, 2540 Dole St., Holmes Hall 283, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
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Kahle P, Ludolphy C, Kierdorf H, Kierdorf U. Dental anomalies and lesions in Eastern Atlantic harbor seals, Phoca vitulina vitulina (Carnivora, Phocidae), from the German North Sea. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0204079. [PMID: 30281623 PMCID: PMC6169878 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Skulls of 1,901 Eastern Atlantic harbor seals (Phoca vitulina vitulina) were systematically studied for externally visible dental anomalies and lesions. The sample comprised 927 males and 974 female individuals, with age at death ranging between 1 week and 25 years. Most of the skulls originated from animals collected in 1988, when the population suffered from a mass mortality event caused by the phocine distemper virus (PDV). Mean age (± SD) of females (6.7 ± 6.4 years) was higher (p = 0.002) than that of males (5.9 ± 5.2 years). In 264 individuals, one or more teeth were missing either congenitally (n = 26 animals, 1.4%) or due to intravital loss (n = 238 animals, 12.5%). One male exhibited congenital absence of all teeth (anodontia). As this animal had been reported to be almost hairless, the condition was tentatively diagnosed as a case of hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia. Males were more frequently (p = 0.002) affected by intravital tooth loss (15.0%) than females (10.2%). Supernumerary teeth were found in 3.4% of the skulls, with females (4.7%) showing hyperodontia more frequently (p < 0.001) than males (1.9%). Fifty-nine individuals (3.1%; 28 males, 31 females, p = 0.84) exhibited abnormal tooth morphology. Tooth fractures were noted in 40 seals (2.1%), with males being more frequently affected than females (p = 0.017). Periapical lesions were diagnosed in 143 skulls, with a tendency (p = 0.05) for males (8.7%) to be more frequently affected than females (6.4%). Enamel hypoplasia was not observed in the study sample. Analyzing the occurrence of dental anomalies and lesions in wild mammals can substantially contribute to an assessment of population health and thereby broaden the basis for effective species conservation and informed management decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Kahle
- Department of Biology, University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany
| | | | - Horst Kierdorf
- Department of Biology, University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany
| | - Uwe Kierdorf
- Department of Biology, University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Crane A, Goebel ME, Kraberger S, Stone AC, Varsani A. Novel anelloviruses identified in buccal swabs of Antarctic fur seals. Virus Genes 2018; 54:719-723. [DOI: 10.1007/s11262-018-1585-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Jaeger A, Lebarbenchon C, Bourret V, Bastien M, Lagadec E, Thiebot JB, Boulinier T, Delord K, Barbraud C, Marteau C, Dellagi K, Tortosa P, Weimerskirch H. Avian cholera outbreaks threaten seabird species on Amsterdam Island. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0197291. [PMID: 29847561 PMCID: PMC5976148 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 04/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases may be particularly critical for the conservation of endangered species. A striking example is the recurrent outbreaks that have been occurring in seabirds on Amsterdam Island for the past 30 years, threatening populations of three Endangered seabird species and of the endemic, Critically Endangered Amsterdam albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis. The bacteria Pasteurella multocida (avian cholera causative agent), and to a lesser extent Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae (erysipelas causative agent), were both suspected to be responsible for these epidemics. Despite this critical situation, demographic trends were not available for these threatened populations, and the occurrence and characterization of potential causative agents of epizootics remain poorly known. The aims of the current study were to (i) provide an update of population trends for four threatened seabird species monitored on Amsterdam Island, (ii) assess the occurrence of P. multocida, and E. rhusiopathiae in live birds from five species, (iii) search for other infectious agents in these samples and, (iv) isolate and genotype the causative agent(s) of epizooties from dead birds. Our study shows that the demographic situation has worsened substantially in three seabird species during the past decade, with extremely low reproductive success and declining populations for Indian yellow-nosed albatrosses Thalassarche carteri, sooty albatrosses Phoebetria fusca, and northern rockhopper penguins Eudyptes moseleyi. Pasteurella multocida or E. rhusiopathiae were detected by PCR in live birds of all five investigated species, while results were negative for eight additional infectious agents. A single strain of P. multocida was repeatedly cultured from dead birds, while no E. rhusiopathiae could be isolated. These results highlight the significance of P. multocida in this particular eco-epidemiological system as the main agent responsible for epizootics. The study stresses the urgent need to implement mitigation measures to alter the course of avian cholera outbreaks threatening the persistence of seabird populations on Amsterdam Island.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Jaeger
- Université de La Réunion, UMR PIMIT (Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical), CNRS 9192, INSERM 1187, IRD 249, GIP CYROI, Saint Denis, La Réunion, France
- Université de la Réunion, UMR ENTROPIE, UR, IRD, CNRS, Saint Denis, La Réunion, France
- Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les maladies émergentes dans l’Océan Indien, GIP CYROI, Sainte Clotilde, La Réunion, France
| | - Camille Lebarbenchon
- Université de La Réunion, UMR PIMIT (Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical), CNRS 9192, INSERM 1187, IRD 249, GIP CYROI, Saint Denis, La Réunion, France
- Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les maladies émergentes dans l’Océan Indien, GIP CYROI, Sainte Clotilde, La Réunion, France
| | - Vincent Bourret
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS-Université Montpellier UMR 5175, Montpellier, France
| | - Matthieu Bastien
- Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les maladies émergentes dans l’Océan Indien, GIP CYROI, Sainte Clotilde, La Réunion, France
- Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises, Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, rue Gabriel Dejean, Saint Pierre, La Réunion, France
| | - Erwan Lagadec
- Université de La Réunion, UMR PIMIT (Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical), CNRS 9192, INSERM 1187, IRD 249, GIP CYROI, Saint Denis, La Réunion, France
- Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les maladies émergentes dans l’Océan Indien, GIP CYROI, Sainte Clotilde, La Réunion, France
- Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises, Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, rue Gabriel Dejean, Saint Pierre, La Réunion, France
| | - Jean-Baptiste Thiebot
- Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises, Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, rue Gabriel Dejean, Saint Pierre, La Réunion, France
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372CNRS – Université de La Rochelle, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Thierry Boulinier
- Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS-Université Montpellier UMR 5175, Montpellier, France
| | - Karine Delord
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372CNRS – Université de La Rochelle, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Christophe Barbraud
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372CNRS – Université de La Rochelle, Villiers en Bois, France
| | - Cédric Marteau
- Réserve Naturelle Nationale des Terres Australes Françaises, Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises, rue Gabriel Dejean, Saint Pierre, La Réunion, France
| | - Koussay Dellagi
- Université de La Réunion, UMR PIMIT (Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical), CNRS 9192, INSERM 1187, IRD 249, GIP CYROI, Saint Denis, La Réunion, France
- Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les maladies émergentes dans l’Océan Indien, GIP CYROI, Sainte Clotilde, La Réunion, France
| | - Pablo Tortosa
- Université de La Réunion, UMR PIMIT (Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical), CNRS 9192, INSERM 1187, IRD 249, GIP CYROI, Saint Denis, La Réunion, France
- Centre de Recherche et de Veille sur les maladies émergentes dans l’Océan Indien, GIP CYROI, Sainte Clotilde, La Réunion, France
| | - Henri Weimerskirch
- Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372CNRS – Université de La Rochelle, Villiers en Bois, France
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Harding KC, Salmon M, Teilmann J, Dietz R, Harkonen T. Population Wide Decline in Somatic Growth in Harbor Seals—Early Signs of Density Dependence. Front Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2018.00059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Ludolphy C, Kahle P, Kierdorf H, Kierdorf U. Osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint in the Eastern Atlantic harbour seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina) from the German North Sea: a study of the lesions seen in dry bone. BMC Vet Res 2018; 14:150. [PMID: 29716601 PMCID: PMC5930511 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-018-1473-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pathological changes and resulting functional impairment of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) can substantially affect physical condition, morbidity, and mortality of wildlife species. Analysis of TMJ disorders is therefore of interest for the characterization of the health status of populations of wild mammals. This paper, for the first time, analyses the prevalence of TMJ osteoarthritis (TMJ-OA) and the spectrum of osteoarthritic bone lesions of the TMJ in the Eastern Atlantic harbour seal (Phoca vitulina vitulina), applying a standardized scoring system. Dry skulls of 1872 individuals from the German North Sea, collected between 1961 and 1994, were examined for lesions consistent with a diagnosis of TMJ-OA. Of the skulls, 913 (48.8%) were from male, 959 (51.2%) from female seals, with age at death ranging from 2 weeks to 25 years. Possible associations of TMJ-OA with dental or periodontal disorders were also analysed. RESULTS Lesions consistent with TMJ-OA were found in 963 (53.9%) of the 1787 juvenile/subadult (5 weeks to 5 years of age) and adult (> 5 years) specimens, the condition mostly (95.0% of affected individuals) occurring in a bilateral fashion. Males were affected more frequently than females (p < 0.001), while lesion severity tended to be higher in females (p < 0.05). Severity of TMJ-OA lesions was positively correlated with age (p < 0.001). Lesion severity was also weakly positively correlated with the number of fractured teeth (p < 0.05) and of intravitally lost teeth (p < 0.01), when controlling for age at death as a confounder. CONCLUSIONS TMJ-OA is a common disorder in the Eastern Atlantic harbour seal. The more pronounced severity of the lesions in females compared to males is basically attributed to the higher average age of the female subsample. The causes underlying the high prevalence of TMJ-OA in the studied assemblage remain unknown. Most of the specimens (75.3%) analysed in the present study were found dead during the first phocine distemper virus epizootic in 1988. Therefore, it is assumed that, contrary to other museum collections, only little overrepresentation of pathological skeletal conditions is present in this death sample compared with the population from which it originated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catharina Ludolphy
- Department of Biology, University of Hildesheim, Universitätsplatz 1, 31141, Hildesheim, Germany
| | - Patricia Kahle
- Department of Biology, University of Hildesheim, Universitätsplatz 1, 31141, Hildesheim, Germany
| | - Horst Kierdorf
- Department of Biology, University of Hildesheim, Universitätsplatz 1, 31141, Hildesheim, Germany
| | - Uwe Kierdorf
- Department of Biology, University of Hildesheim, Universitätsplatz 1, 31141, Hildesheim, Germany.
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Sonne C, Andersen-Ranberg E, Rajala EL, Agerholm JS, Bonefeld-Jørgensen E, Desforges JP, Eulaers I, Jenssen BM, Koch A, Rosing-Asvid A, Siebert U, Tryland M, Mulvad G, Härkönen T, Acquarone M, Nordøy ES, Dietz R, Magnusson U. Seroprevalence for Brucella spp. in Baltic ringed seals ( Phoca hispida ) and East Greenland harp ( Pagophilus groenlandicus ) and hooded ( Cystophora cristata ) seals. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2018; 198:14-18. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2018.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 01/28/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
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Jo WK, Osterhaus ADME, Ludlow M. Transmission of morbilliviruses within and among marine mammal species. Curr Opin Virol 2018; 28:133-141. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2017.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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50
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Kleinert C, Lacaze E, Fortier M, Hammill M, De Guise S, Fournier M. T lymphocyte-proliferative responses of harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) exposed to pharmaceuticals in vitro. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2018; 127:225-234. [PMID: 29475659 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The ubiquity of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment and the accumulation in organisms of lower trophic levels have been documented. The immunotoxicity of these xenobiotics has however been little investigated. This study assessed the effects of pharmaceuticals on the immune responses of harbor seal lymphocytes. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from harbor seal pups were exposed to varying concentrations of 17α-ethinyl estradiol (250-50,000μg/L), naproxen (500-100,000μg/L), carbamazepine (500-100,000μg/L), erythromycin (750-150,000μg/L) and binary mixtures thereof in vitro. All individual compounds and mixtures inhibited lymphocyte proliferation. Mixture effects were non-additive and predictive values overestimated the inhibition of proliferation. Male pups were more sensitive to erythromycin exposure. Comparison with the sensitivity of the 11B7501 cell line showed a higher sensitivity of pups to individual compounds and the inverse trend for mixtures. Based on our results, we hypothesize that pharmaceuticals may have the potential to interrupt immune functions in harbor seals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Kleinert
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Edifice 18, 531 Blvd. des Prairies, Laval, QC H7V 1B7, Canada.
| | - Emilie Lacaze
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Edifice 18, 531 Blvd. des Prairies, Laval, QC H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Marlène Fortier
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Edifice 18, 531 Blvd. des Prairies, Laval, QC H7V 1B7, Canada
| | - Mike Hammill
- Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 850, route de la Mer, C. P. 1000, Mont-Joli, QC G5H 3Z4, Canada
| | - Sylvain De Guise
- Department of Pathobiology, University of Connecticut, 61 North Eagleville Road, U-3089, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | - Michel Fournier
- INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, Edifice 18, 531 Blvd. des Prairies, Laval, QC H7V 1B7, Canada
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