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Page A, Hay C, Marks W, Bennett B, Gribble MO, Noke Durden W, Stolen M, Jablonski T, Gordon N, Kolkmeyer T, Jiang M, Pegg N, Brown H, Burton S. Trace element bioaccumulation, tissue distribution, and elimination in odontocetes stranded in Florida and Georgia, USA over a 15-year period (2007-2021). Heliyon 2024; 10:e25552. [PMID: 38356552 PMCID: PMC10865268 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e25552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Odontocetes obtain nutrients including essential elements through their diet and are exposed to heavy metal contaminants via ingestion of contaminated prey. We evaluated the prevalence, concentration, and tissue distribution of essential and non-essential trace elements, including heavy metal toxicants, in tissue (blubber, kidney, liver, skeletal muscle, skin) and fecal samples collected from 90 odontocetes, representing nine species, that stranded in Georgia and Florida, USA during 2007-2021. Samples were analyzed for concentrations of seven essential (cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, zinc) and five non-essential (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, thallium) elemental analytes using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) and short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) had the highest median concentrations of mercury, cadmium, and lead, while dwarf sperm whales (Kogia sima) had the lowest. Adult pygmy and dwarf sperm whales that stranded in 2019-2021 had higher concentrations of arsenic, copper, iron, lead, manganese, selenium, thallium, and zinc compared to those that stranded in 2010-2018, suggesting an increasing risk of exposure over time. The highest concentrations of many elements (e.g., cadmium, cobalt, copper, manganese, molybdenum, thallium, zinc) were in fecal samples, illustrating the usefulness of this noninvasively collected sample. Aside from fecal samples, hepatic tissues had the highest concentrations of iron, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, and selenium in most species; renal tissues had the highest concentrations of cadmium; skin had the highest concentrations of zinc; and copper, arsenic, and lead concentrations were primarily distributed among the liver and kidneys. Phylogenetic differences in patterns of trace element concentrations likely reflect species-specific differences in diet, trophic level, and feeding strategies, while heterogeneous distributions of elemental analytes among different organ types reflect differences in elemental biotransformation, elimination, and storage. This study illustrates the importance of monitoring toxic contaminants in stranded odontocetes, which serve as important sentinels of environmental contamination, and whose health may be linked to human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Page
- Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic University, Fort Pierce, FL, USA
| | - Clara Hay
- Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic University, Fort Pierce, FL, USA
- United States Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT, USA
| | - Wendy Marks
- Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic University, Fort Pierce, FL, USA
| | - Baylin Bennett
- University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Nadia Gordon
- Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish & Wildlife Research Institute, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Trip Kolkmeyer
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Brunswick, GA, USA
| | - Mingshun Jiang
- Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic University, Fort Pierce, FL, USA
| | - Nicole Pegg
- Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic University, Fort Pierce, FL, USA
| | - Hunter Brown
- Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic University, Fort Pierce, FL, USA
| | - Steve Burton
- Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic University, Fort Pierce, FL, USA
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Fischbach JR, Seguel M. A systematic review of the diversity and virulence correlates of metastrongyle lungworms in marine mammals. Parasitology 2023; 150:1178-1191. [PMID: 37859401 PMCID: PMC10801380 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182023001014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2023] [Revised: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Metastrongyle lungworms could be particularly detrimental for diving animals such as marine mammals; however, little is known of the drivers of pathogenic host–parasite relationships in this group. This systematic review analysed the diversity of metastrongyles in marine mammals and the host and parasite traits associated with virulence. There have been at least 40 species of metastrongyles described in 66 species of marine mammals. After penalization for study biases, Halocercus hyperoodoni, Otostrongylus circumlitus, Parafilaroides gymnurus, Halocercus brasiliensis and Stenurus minor were the metastrongyles with the widest host range. Most studies (80.12%, n = 133/166) reported that metastrongyles caused bronchopneumonia, while in the cardiovascular system metastrongyles caused vasculitis in nearly half of the studies (45.45%, n = 5/11) that assessed these tissues. Metastrongyles were associated with otitis in 23.08% (n = 6/26) of the studies. Metastrongyle infection was considered a potential contributory to mortality in 44.78% (n = 90/201) of the studies while 10.45% (n = 21/201) of these studies considered metastrongyles the main cause of death. Metastrongyle species with a wider host range were more likely to induce pathogenic effects. Metastrongyles can cause significant tissue damage and mortality in marine mammals although virulent host–parasite relationships are dominated by a few metastrongyle species with wider host ranges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared R. Fischbach
- College of Biological Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Mauricio Seguel
- Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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Bloodgood JCG, Deming AC, Colegrove KM, Russell ML, Díaz Clark C, Carmichael RH. Causes of death and pathogen prevalence in bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus stranded in Alabama, USA, between 2015 and 2020, following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Dis Aquat Organ 2023; 155:87-102. [PMID: 37650480 DOI: 10.3354/dao03746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Between 2010 and 2014, an unusual mortality event (UME) involving bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus occurred in the northern Gulf of Mexico, associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWHOS). Cause of death (COD) patterns in bottlenose dolphins since then have not been analyzed, and baseline prevalence data for Brucella ceti and cetacean morbillivirus, 2 pathogens previously reported in this region, are lacking. We analyzed records from bottlenose dolphins stranded in Alabama from 2015 to 2020 with necropsy and histological findings to determine COD (n = 108). This period included another UME in 2019 associated with prolonged freshwater exposure. A subset of individuals that stranded during this period were selected for molecular testing for Brucella spp. and Morbillivirus spp. Causes of death for all age classes were grouped into 6 categories, including (1) human interaction, (2) infectious disease, (3) noninfectious disease (prolonged freshwater exposure and degenerative), (4) trauma, (5) multifactorial, and (6) unknown. Two additional categories unique to perinates included fetal distress and in utero pneumonia. Human interaction was the most common primary COD (19.4%) followed closely by infectious disease (17.6%) and noninfectious disease (freshwater exposure; 13.9%). Brucella was detected in 18.4% of the 98 animals tested, but morbillivirus was not detected in any of the 66 animals tested. Brucella was detected in some moderately to severely decomposed carcasses, indicating that it may be beneficial to test a broad condition range of stranded animals. This study provides valuable information on COD in bottlenose dolphins in Alabama following the DWHOS and is the first to examine baseline prevalence of 2 common pathogens in stranded animals from this region.
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Affiliation(s)
- J C G Bloodgood
- Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101 Bienville Blvd., Dauphin Island, Alabama 36528, USA
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Obusan MCM, Caras JAA, Lumang LSL, Calderon EJS, Villanueva RMD, Salibay CC, Siringan MAT, Rivera WL, Masangkay JS, Aragones LV. Bacteriological and histopathological findings in cetaceans that stranded in the Philippines from 2017 to 2018. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0243691. [PMID: 34762695 PMCID: PMC8584710 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0243691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The relatively high frequency of marine mammal stranding events in the Philippines provide many research opportunities. A select set of stranders (n = 21) from 2017 to 2018 were sampled for bacteriology and histopathology. Pertinent tissues and bacteria were collected from individuals representing eight cetacean species (i.e. Feresa attenuata, Kogia breviceps, Globicephala macrorhynchus, Grampus griseus, Lagenodelphis hosei, Peponocephala electra, Stenella attenuata and Stenella longirostris) and were subjected to histopathological examination and antibiotic resistance screening, respectively. The antibiotic resistance profiles of 24 bacteria (belonging to genera Escherichia, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Proteus, and Shigella) that were isolated from four cetaceans were determined using 18 antibiotics. All 24 isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic class, and 79.17% were classified as multiple antibiotic resistant (MAR). The MAR index values of isolates ranged from 0.06 to 0.39 with all the isolates resistant to erythromycin (100%; n = 24) and susceptible to imipenem, doripenem, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, and gentamicin (100%; n = 24). The resistance profiles of these bacteria show the extent of antimicrobial resistance in the marine environment, and may inform medical management decisions during rehabilitation of stranded cetaceans. Due to inadequate gross descriptions and limited data gathered by the responders during the stranding events, the significance of histopathological lesions in association with disease diagnosis in each cetacean stranding or mortality remained inconclusive; however, these histopathological findings may be indicative or contributory to the resulting debility and stress during their strandings. The findings of the study demonstrate the challenges faced by cetacean species in the wild, such as but not limited to, biological pollution through land-sea movement of effluents, fisheries interactions, and anthropogenic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Christine M. Obusan
- Microbial Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
- Natural Sciences Research Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Jamaica Ann A. Caras
- Microbial Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
- Marine Mammal Research Stranding Laboratory, Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Lara Sabrina L. Lumang
- Microbial Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Erika Joyce S. Calderon
- Microbial Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Ren Mark D. Villanueva
- Microbial Ecology of Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Cristina C. Salibay
- College of Science and Computer Studies, De La Salle University-Dasmariñas, City of Dasmariñas Cavite, Philippines
| | - Maria Auxilia T. Siringan
- Natural Sciences Research Institute, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Windell L. Rivera
- Pathogen-Host-Environment Interactions Research Laboratory, Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
| | - Joseph S. Masangkay
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
| | - Lemnuel V. Aragones
- Marine Mammal Research Stranding Laboratory, Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, College of Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
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