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Curtiss JB, Colegrove KM, Dianis A, Kinsel MJ, Ahmed N, Fauquier D, Rowles T, Niemeyer M, Rotstein DS, Maddox CW, Terio KA. Brucella ceti sequence type 23, 26, and 27 infections in North American cetaceans. Dis Aquat Organ 2022; 148:57-72. [PMID: 35200159 DOI: 10.3354/dao03644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Brucella ceti infection is associated with a variety of disease outcomes in cetaceans globally. Multiple genotypes of B. ceti have been identified. This retrospective aimed to determine if specific lesions were associated with different B. ceti DNA sequence types (STs). Characterization of ST was performed on 163 samples from 88 free-ranging cetaceans, including common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus (T.t.; n = 73), common short-beaked dolphin Delphinus delphis (D.d.; n = 7), striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba (n = 3), Pacific white-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (n = 2), sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus (n = 2), and harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena (n = 1), that stranded along the coast of the US mainland and Hawaii. ST was determined using a previously described insertion sequence 711 quantitative PCR. Concordance with 9-locus multi-locus sequence typing was assessed in a subset of samples (n = 18). ST 26 was most commonly identified in adult dolphins along the US east coast with non-suppurative meningoencephalitis (p = 0.009). Animals infected with ST 27 were predominately perinates that were aborted or died shortly after birth with evidence of in utero pneumonia (p = 0.035). Reproductive tract inflammation and meningoencephalitis were also observed in adult T.t. and D.d. with ST 27, though low sample size limited interpretation. ST 23 infections can cause disease in cetacean families other than porpoises (Phocoenidae), including neurobrucellosis in D.d. In total, 11 animals were potentially infected with multiple STs. These data indicate differences in pathogenesis among B. ceti STs in free-ranging cetaceans, and infection with multiple STs is possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey B Curtiss
- Zoological Pathology Program, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Brookfield, IL 60513, USA
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De Guise S, Levin M, Jasperse L, Herrman J, Wells RS, Rowles T, Schwacke L. Long-Term Immunological Alterations in Bottlenose Dolphin a Decade after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Potential for Multigenerational Effects. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021; 40:1308-1321. [PMID: 33598929 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Health assessments were conducted on bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA, during 2011 to 2018, to assess potential health effects following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, compared to the unoiled Sarasota Bay, Florida, USA, reference dolphin population. We previously reported significant increases in T-lymphocyte proliferation, as well as lower T helper 1 (Th1) cytokines, higher Th2 cytokine IL-4, and lower T regulatory (Treg) cytokine IL-10 in Barataria Bay in 2011 compared to Sarasota Bay, consistent with Deepwater Horizon oil exposure. Although values between 2013 and 2016 were more similar to those observed in Sarasota Bay, T-cell proliferation was again elevated and cytokine balance tilted toward Th2 in Barataria Bay during 2017-2018. In 2018, Barataria Bay dolphins had significantly more circulating Treg cells than Sarasota Bay dolphins. Mice experimentally exposed to oil also had significantly increased T-lymphocyte proliferation and circulating Treg cell number, including effects in their unexposed progeny. In vitro stimulation resulted in greater Th2 responsiveness in Barataria Bay compared to Sarasota Bay dolphins, and in vitro oil exposure of Sarasota Bay dolphin cells also resulted in enhanced Th2 responsiveness. Evidence points to Treg cells as a potential target for the immunomodulatory effects of oil exposure. The immunological trends observed in Barataria Bay appeared exaggerated in dolphins born after the spill, suggesting the possibility of continued oil exposure or multigenerational health consequences of exposure to oil, as observed in mice. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1308-1321. © 2021 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain De Guise
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
- Connecticut Sea Grant Program, Groton, Connecticut, USA
| | - Milton Levin
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lindsay Jasperse
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jean Herrman
- Companion Animal Dental Services, Bolton, Connecticut, USA
| | - Randall S Wells
- Chicago Zoological Society's Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, c/o Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida, USA
| | - Teresa Rowles
- Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Lori Schwacke
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, California, USA
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Herrman JM, Morey JS, Takeshita R, De Guise S, Wells RS, McFee W, Speakman T, Townsend F, Smith CR, Rowles T, Schwacke L. Age determination of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) using dental radiography pulp:tooth area ratio measurements. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0242273. [PMID: 33216762 PMCID: PMC7678971 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0242273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Age is an important parameter to better understand wildlife populations, and is especially relevant for interpreting data for fecundity, health, and survival assessments. Estimating ages for marine mammals presents a particular challenge due to the environment they inhabit: accessibility is limited and, when temporarily restrained for assessment, the window of opportunity for data collection is relatively short. For wild dolphins, researchers have described a variety of age-determination techniques, but the gold-standard relies upon photo-identification to establish individual observational life histories from birth. However, there are few populations with such long-term data sets, therefore alternative techniques for age estimation are required for individual animals without a known birth period. While there are a variety of methods to estimate ages, each involves some combination of drawbacks, including a lack of precision across all ages, weeks-to-months of analysis time, logistical concerns for field applications, and/or novel techniques still in early development and validation. Here, we describe a non-invasive field technique to determine the age of small cetaceans using periapical dental radiography and subsequent measurement of pulp:tooth area ratios. The technique has been successfully applied for bottlenose dolphins briefly restrained during capture-release heath assessments in various locations in the Gulf of Mexico. Based on our comparisons of dental radiography data to life history ages, the pulp:tooth area ratio method can reliably provide same-day estimates for ages of dolphins up to about 10 years old.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean M. Herrman
- Companion Animal Dental Services, Bolton, Connecticut, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Jeanine S. Morey
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Ryan Takeshita
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Sylvain De Guise
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Randall S. Wells
- Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, c/o Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida, United States of America
| | - Wayne McFee
- NOAA Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, Charleston, SC, United States of America
| | - Todd Speakman
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Forrest Townsend
- Bayside Hospital for Animals, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, United States of America
| | - Cynthia R. Smith
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Teresa Rowles
- Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Lori Schwacke
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, California, United States of America
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Sandifer P, Knapp L, Lichtveld M, Manley R, Abramson D, Caffey R, Cochran D, Collier T, Ebi K, Engel L, Farrington J, Finucane M, Hale C, Halpern D, Harville E, Hart L, Hswen Y, Kirkpatrick B, McEwen B, Morris G, Orbach R, Palinkas L, Partyka M, Porter D, Prather AA, Rowles T, Scott G, Seeman T, Solo-Gabriele H, Svendsen E, Tincher T, Trtanj J, Walker AH, Yehuda R, Yip F, Yoskowitz D, Singer B. Framework for a Community Health Observing System for the Gulf of Mexico Region: Preparing for Future Disasters. Front Public Health 2020; 8:578463. [PMID: 33178663 PMCID: PMC7593336 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.578463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) region is prone to disasters, including recurrent oil spills, hurricanes, floods, industrial accidents, harmful algal blooms, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. The GoM and other regions of the U.S. lack sufficient baseline health information to identify, attribute, mitigate, and facilitate prevention of major health effects of disasters. Developing capacity to assess adverse human health consequences of future disasters requires establishment of a comprehensive, sustained community health observing system, similar to the extensive and well-established environmental observing systems. We propose a system that combines six levels of health data domains, beginning with three existing, national surveys and studies plus three new nested, longitudinal cohort studies. The latter are the unique and most important parts of the system and are focused on the coastal regions of the five GoM States. A statistically representative sample of participants is proposed for the new cohort studies, stratified to ensure proportional inclusion of urban and rural populations and with additional recruitment as necessary to enroll participants from particularly vulnerable or under-represented groups. Secondary data sources such as syndromic surveillance systems, electronic health records, national community surveys, environmental exposure databases, social media, and remote sensing will inform and augment the collection of primary data. Primary data sources will include participant-provided information via questionnaires, clinical measures of mental and physical health, acquisition of biological specimens, and wearable health monitoring devices. A suite of biomarkers may be derived from biological specimens for use in health assessments, including calculation of allostatic load, a measure of cumulative stress. The framework also addresses data management and sharing, participant retention, and system governance. The observing system is designed to continue indefinitely to ensure that essential pre-, during-, and post-disaster health data are collected and maintained. It could also provide a model/vehicle for effective health observation related to infectious disease pandemics such as COVID-19. To our knowledge, there is no comprehensive, disaster-focused health observing system such as the one proposed here currently in existence or planned elsewhere. Significant strengths of the GoM Community Health Observing System (CHOS) are its longitudinal cohorts and ability to adapt rapidly as needs arise and new technologies develop.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Sandifer
- Center for Coastal Environmental and Human Health, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Landon Knapp
- Center for Coastal Environmental and Human Health, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Maureen Lichtveld
- School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Ruth Manley
- Master's Program in Environmental and Sustainability Studies, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - David Abramson
- School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Rex Caffey
- Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - David Cochran
- School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Tracy Collier
- Huxley College of the Environment, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, United States
| | - Kristie Ebi
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Lawrence Engel
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - John Farrington
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, United States
| | | | - Christine Hale
- Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX, United States
| | - David Halpern
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Emily Harville
- School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Leslie Hart
- Department of Health and Human Performance, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Yulin Hswen
- Computational Epidemiology Lab, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Barbara Kirkpatrick
- Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System, Texas A&M University, College Station TX, United States
| | - Bruce McEwen
- Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Glenn Morris
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | - Raymond Orbach
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin, TX, United States
| | - Lawrence Palinkas
- Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Melissa Partyka
- Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, Mobile, AL, United States
| | - Dwayne Porter
- Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Aric A. Prather
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Teresa Rowles
- National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Geoffrey Scott
- Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Teresa Seeman
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Helena Solo-Gabriele
- Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, United States
| | - Erik Svendsen
- Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Terry Tincher
- Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Juli Trtanj
- Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | | | - Rachel Yehuda
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Bronx, NY, United States
| | - Fuyuen Yip
- Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - David Yoskowitz
- Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX, United States
| | - Burton Singer
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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Rojas-Bracho L, Gulland FMD, Smith CR, Taylor B, Wells RS, Thomas PO, Bauer B, Heide-Jørgensen MP, Teilmann J, Dietz R, Balle JD, Jensen MV, Sinding MHS, Jaramillo-Legorreta A, Abel G, Read AJ, Westgate AJ, Colegrove K, Gomez F, Martz K, Rebolledo R, Ridgway S, Rowles T, van Elk CE, Boehm J, Cardenas-Hinojosa G, Constandse R, Nieto-Garcia E, Phillips W, Sabio D, Sanchez R, Sweeney J, Townsend F, Vivanco J, Vivanco JC, Walker S. A field effort to capture critically endangered vaquitas Phocoena sinus for protection from entanglement in illegal gillnets. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2019. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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De Guise S, Levin M, Gebhard E, Jasperse L, Burdett Hart L, Smith CR, Venn-Watson S, Townsend F, Wells R, Balmer B, Zolman E, Rowles T, Schwacke L. Changes in immune functions in bottlenose dolphins in the northern Gulf of Mexico associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2017. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Wallace BP, Brosnan T, McLamb D, Rowles T, Ruder E, Schroeder B, Schwacke L, Stacy B, Sullivan L, Takeshita R, Wehner D. Effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on protected marine species. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2017. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Takeshita R, Sullivan L, Smith C, Collier T, Hall A, Brosnan T, Rowles T, Schwacke L. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill marine mammal injury assessment. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2017. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Abstract
Marine mammals can be infected with zoonotic pathogens and show clinical signs of disease, or be asymptomatic carriers of such disease agents. While isolated cases of human disease from contact with marine mammals have been reported, no evaluation of the risks associated with marine mammal work has been attempted. Therefore, we designed a survey to estimate the risk of work-related injuries and illnesses in marine mammal workers and volunteers. The 17-question survey asked respondents to describe their contact with marine mammals, injuries sustained, and/or illnesses acquired during their period of marine mammal exposure. Most respondents, 88% (423/483), were researchers and rehabilitators. Of all respondents, 50% (243/483) reported suffering an injury caused by a marine mammal, and 23% (110/483) reported having a skin rash or reaction. Marine mammal work-related illnesses commonly reported included: 'seal finger' (Mycoplasma spp. or Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae), conjunctivitis, viral dermatitis, bacterial dermatitis, and non-specific contact dermatitis. Although specific diagnoses could not be confirmed by a physician through this study, severe illnesses were reported and included tuberculosis, leptospirosis, brucellosis, and serious sequelae to seal finger. Risk factors associated with increased odds of injury and illness included prolonged and frequent exposure to marine mammals; direct contact with live marine mammals; and contact with tissue, blood, and excretions. Diagnosis of zoonotic disease was often aided by veterinarians; therefore, workers at risk should be encouraged to consult with a marine mammal veterinarian as well as a physician, especially if obtaining a definitive diagnosis for an illness becomes problematic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania D Hunt
- Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, California 95616, USA
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Mackey EA, Oflaz RD, Epstein MS, Buehler B, Porter BJ, Rowles T, Wise SA, Becker PR. Elemental composition of liver and kidney tissues of rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2003; 44:523-532. [PMID: 12712283 DOI: 10.1007/s00244-002-2039-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
On December 14, 1997, 62 rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) stranded on Cape San Blas, on the Florida coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 30 animals died either on the beach or in rehabilitation facilities. Two were successfully rehabilitated and released. Liver, kidney, blubber, and muscle tissues were collected from 15 animals that died on the beach. Portions of the liver and kidney from each dolphin were analyzed using instrumental neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to determine mass fractions of 37 elements. Levels of several electrolytes (Na, Cl, K, Br, Rb, I, Cs) and of the essential trace elements Fe, Cu, and Zn in both tissues were similar to those found in other Odontoceti. Mass fractions of Ca ranged from 60 mg/kg to 1,200 mg/kg (wet mass basis), indicating significant inhomogeneity in the kidney tissues of several animals. Necropsy reports noted that the kidneys of many of these animals contained fibrous nodules. The measured Ca inhomogeneity may be due to mineralization of the fibrous kidney tissue. Hepatic levels of Hg and Se were at the high end of the ranges generally found in livers of other Odontoceti and were slightly higher in animals with fibrous kidneys than in the others. Mass fractions of Se, Ag, and Hg in liver tissues increased with the size and age of the animals indicating accumulation of these elements in the liver with age. Results also indicate that Se and Hg accumulate in rough-toothed dolphin kidney. Accumulation of these elements with age has been reported commonly for marine mammals and other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- E A Mackey
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Mailstop 8395 Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, USA.
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Ylitalo GM, Matkin CO, Buzitis J, Krahn MM, Jones LL, Rowles T, Stein JE. Influence of life-history parameters on organochlorine concentrations in free-ranging killer whales (Orcinus orca) from Prince William Sound, AK. Sci Total Environ 2001; 281:183-203. [PMID: 11778951 DOI: 10.1016/s0048-9697(01)00846-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Certain populations of killer whales (Orcinus orca) have been extensively studied over the past 30 years, including populations that use Puget Sound, WA, the inside waters of British Columbia, Southeastern Alaska and Kenai Fjords/Prince William Sound, Alaska. Two eco-types of killer whales, 'transient' and 'resident', occur in all of these regions. These eco-types are genetically distinct and differ in various aspects of morphology, vocalization patterns, diet and habitat use. Various genetic and photo-identification studies of eastern North Pacific killer whales have provided information on the male-female composition of most of these resident pods and transient groups, as well as the approximate ages, reproductive status and putative recruitment order (birth order) of the individual whales. Biopsy blubber samples of free-ranging resident and transient killer whales from the Kenai Fjords/Prince William Sound, AK region were acquired during the 1994-1999 field seasons and analyzed for selected organochlorines (OCs), including dioxin-like CB congeners and DDTs. Concentrations of OCs in transient killer whales (marine mammal-eating) were much higher than those found in resident animals (fish-eating) apparently due to differences in diets of these two killer whale eco-types. Certain life-history parameters such as sex, age and reproductive status also influenced the concentrations of OCs in the Alaskan killer whales. Reproductive female whales contained much lower levels of OCs than sexually immature whales or mature male animals in the same age class likely due to transfer of OCs from the female to her offspring during gestation and lactation. Recruitment order also influenced the concentrations of OCs in the Alaskan killer whales. In adult male residents, first-recruited whales contained much higher OC concentrations than those measured in non-first-recruited (e.g. second recruited, third recruited) resident animals in the same age group. This study provides baseline OC data for free ranging Alaskan killer whales for which there is little contaminant information.
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Affiliation(s)
- G M Ylitalo
- United States Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Services, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA 98112-2097, USA
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Scholin CA, Gulland F, Doucette GJ, Benson S, Busman M, Chavez FP, Cordaro J, DeLong R, De Vogelaere A, Harvey J, Haulena M, Lefebvre K, Lipscomb T, Loscutoff S, Lowenstine LJ, Marin R, Miller PE, McLellan WA, Moeller PD, Powell CL, Rowles T, Silvagni P, Silver M, Spraker T, Trainer V, Van Dolah FM. Mortality of sea lions along the central California coast linked to a toxic diatom bloom. Nature 2000; 403:80-4. [PMID: 10638756 DOI: 10.1038/47481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 319] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Over 400 California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) died and many others displayed signs of neurological dysfunction along the central California coast during May and June 1998. A bloom of Pseudo-nitzschia australis (diatom) was observed in the Monterey Bay region during the same period. This bloom was associated with production of domoic acid (DA), a neurotoxin that was also detected in planktivorous fish, including the northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax), and in sea lion body fluids. These and other concurrent observations demonstrate the trophic transfer of DA resulting in marine mammal mortality. In contrast to fish, blue mussels (Mytilus edulus) collected during the DA outbreak contained no DA or only trace amounts. Such findings reveal that monitoring of mussel toxicity alone does not necessarily provide adequate warning of DA entering the food web at levels sufficient to harm marine wildlife and perhaps humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- C A Scholin
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, California 95039, USA.
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13
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Becker PR, Wise SA, Thorsteinson L, Koster BJ, Rowles T. Specimen banking of marine organisms in the United States: current status and long-term prospective. Chemosphere 1997; 34:1889-1906. [PMID: 9159892 DOI: 10.1016/s0045-6535(97)00051-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
A major part of the activities conducted over the last decade by the National Biomonitoring Specimen Bank (NBSB) has involved the archival of marine specimens collected by ongoing environmental monitoring programs. These archived specimens include bivalves, marine sediments, and fish tissues collected by the National Status and Trends and the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Damage Assessment programs, and marine mammal tissues collected by the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding, Response Program and the Alaska Marine Mammal Tissue Archival Project. In addition to supporting these programs, the specimens have been used to investigate circumpolar patterns of chlorinated hydrocarbon concentrations, genetic separation of marine animal stocks, baseline levels of essential and nonessential elements in marine mammals, and the potential risk to human consumers in the Arctic from anthropogenic contaminants found in local subsistence foods. The NBSB specimens represent a resource that has the potential for addressing future issues of marine environmental quality and ecosystem changes through retrospective analysis; however, an ecosystem-based food web approach would maximize this potential. The current status of the NBSB activities related to the banking of marine organisms is presented and discussed, the long-term prospective of these activities is presented, and the importance of an ecosystem-based food web monitoring approach to the value of specimen banking is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- P R Becker
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Charleston, SC, USA
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14
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Keith J, Rowles T, Warwick K, Yau E. Effects of a 48 hour continuous intravenous infusion of CGS 13080-primagrel, a selective thromboxane synthetase inhibitor, on the perinatal and early postnatal period in the guinea pig. Teratology 1992; 46:159-67. [PMID: 1440419 DOI: 10.1002/tera.1420460209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
CGS 13080, imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine-5-hexanoic acid, was evaluated for perinatal and postnatal effects in third trimester pregnant guinea pigs and their offspring. The compound was administered via 48 hour continuous intravenous infusion to a group of pregnant guinea pigs (n = 16) at a dose of 3 mg/kg/hr starting on gestational day 52 (via chronically implanted indwelling jugular venous cannulas). A saline control group (n = 12) received equivalent volumes of normal saline 0.5 ml/kg/hr throughout the dosing period. A third group (surgery-sham, n = 16) was subjected to cannulation but not infused. A gross examination of each dam and piglets was conducted at necropsy on day 5 of lactation. The neonatal brains and all gross lesions (maternal and neonatal) were removed and fixed for histopathological examination. Compound-related clinical signs were noted in dams during the dosing phase of gestation. Six guinea pigs developed cephalic lymphatic swelling during the infusion. This observation may be correlated to the reported redistribution of fluid volume to the thorax of guinea pigs given intravenous injections of CGS 13080. There were no compound-induced effects on labor, delivery, or any of the examined reproductive parameters. There were no compound-related clinical signs, or effects on survival, body weight and developmental parameters in the F1 generation. Histopathological examination of the brains and other organs did not reveal any compound-related abnormalities. Based on these results, it was concluded that CGS 13080 did not elicit adverse perinatal and postnatal effects in guinea pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Keith
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg 24061
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Cartee RE, Rowles T. Preliminary study of the ultrasonographic diagnosis of pregnancy and fetal development in the dog. Am J Vet Res 1984; 45:1259-1265. [PMID: 24049881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
A total of 18 dogs were examined by ultrasound during their gestation period. At gestational day 7, a uterus indicative of possible pregnancy was observed. At gestational day 10, the embryo was observed. Fetal and cardiac activities appeared at 28 days. Rapid increases of the crown-rump length and biparietal diameter occurred between the 5th and the 6th weeks of gestation and of the body diameter between the 4th and 5th weeks and again between the 6th and the 7th weeks of gestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- R E Cartee
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, AL 36849, USA
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