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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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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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Palmer R, Fleming GTA, Glaeser S, Semmler T, Flamm A, Ewers C, Kämpfer P, Budich O, Berrow S, O'Brien J, Siebert U, Collins E, Ruttledge M, Eisenberg T. Marine mammals are natural hosts of Oceanivirga salmonicida, a bacterial pathogen of Atlantic salmon. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2020; 139:161-174. [PMID: 32406871 DOI: 10.3354/dao03478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
During 1992 and 1993, a bacterial disease occurred in a seawater Atlantic salmon Salmo salar farm, causing serious mortalities. The causative agent was subsequently named as Oceanivirga salmonicida, a member of the Leptotrichiaceae. Searches of 16S rRNA gene sequence databases have shown sequence similarities between O. salmonicida and uncultured bacterial clones from the digestive tracts of marine mammals. In the current study, oral samples were taken from stranded dolphins (common dolphin Delphinus delphis, striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba) and healthy harbour seals Phoca vitulina. A bacterium with growth characteristics consistent with O. salmonicida was isolated from a common dolphin. The isolate was confirmed as O. salmonicida, by comparisons to the type strain, using 16S rRNA gene, gyrB, groEL, and recA sequence analyses, average nucleotide identity analysis, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Metagenomic analysis indicated that the genus Oceanivirga represented a significant component of the oral bacterial microbiomes of the dolphins and seals. However, sequences consistent with O. salmonicida were only found in the dolphin samples. Analyses of marine mammal microbiome studies in the NCBI databases showed sequences consistent with O. salmonicida from the common dolphin, striped dolphin, bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus, humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae, and harbour seal. Sequences from marine environmental studies in the NCBI databases showed no sequences consistent with O. salmonicida. The findings suggest that several species of marine mammals are natural hosts of O. salmonicida.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roy Palmer
- Discipline of Microbiology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway H91TK33, Ireland
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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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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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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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Colegrove KM, Burek-Huntington KA, Roe W, Siebert U. Pinnipediae. PATHOLOGY OF WILDLIFE AND ZOO ANIMALS 2018. [PMCID: PMC7150363 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-805306-5.00023-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This chapter reviews common diseases of pinnipeds, including species in the Otariidae (fur seals and sea lions), Phocidae (true seals), and Odobenidae (walrus) families. Much of the knowledge on pathologic conditions of pinnipeds comes from necropsies of stranded animals and those housed in captivity. As such, disease knowledge is biased toward species frequently housed in zoos and aquaria, those that strand more commonly, or those in which free-ranging populations are more easily accessible. Though historically systematic evaluations of wild populations have rarely been accomplished, in the past 10 years, with advances in marine mammal medicine and anesthesia, biologists and veterinarians more frequently completed live animal health field investigations to evaluate health and disease in free-ranging pinniped populations.
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