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Zinzula L, Scholz J, Nagy I, Di Guardo G, Orsini M. Biophysical characterization of the cetacean morbillivirus haemagglutinin glycoprotein. Virus Res 2023; 336:199231. [PMID: 37769814 PMCID: PMC10550842 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199231] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 09/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Abstract
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) is an enveloped, non-segmented, negative-stranded RNA virus that infects marine mammals, spreading across species and causing lethal disease outbreaks worldwide. Among the eight proteins encoded by the CeMV genome, the haemagglutinin (H) glycoprotein is responsible for the virus attachment to host cell receptors. CeMV H represents an attractive target for antiviral and diagnostic research, yet the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying its role in infection and inter-species transmission was hampered thus far due to the unavailability of recombinant versions of the protein. Here we present the cloning, expression and purification of a recombinant CeMV H ectodomain (rH-ecto), providing an initial characterization of its biophysical and structural properties. Sodium dodecyl sulphate - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) combined to Western blot analysis and periodic acid Schiff assay showed that CeMV rH-ecto is purifiable at homogeneity from insect cells as a secreted, soluble and glycosylated protein. Miniaturized differential scanning fluorimetry, Blue Native PAGE and size exclusion chromatography coupled to multiangle light scattering revealed that CeMV rH-ecto is globularly folded, thermally stable and exists in solution in the oligomeric states of dimer and multiple of dimers. Furthermore, negative stain electron microscopy single particle analysis allowed us to delineate a low-resolution molecular architecture of the CeMV rH-ecto dimer, which recapitulates native assemblies from other morbilliviral H proteins, such as those from measles virus and canine distemper virus. This set of experiments by orthogonal techniques validates the CeMV rH-ecto as an experimental model for future biochemical studies on its structure and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Zinzula
- Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany; Centro di Educazione Ambientale e alla Sostenibilità (CEAS) Laguna di Nora, Pula, Italy.
| | - Judith Scholz
- Core Facility, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - István Nagy
- Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany; Center of Research and Development, Eszterházy Károly Catholic University, Eger, Hungary
| | - Giovanni Di Guardo
- Retired Professor of General Pathology and Veterinary Pathophysiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Orsini
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro, Italy
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2
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Costa-Silva S, Sacristán C, Soares RM, Carvalho VL, Castilho PV, Cremer MJ, Ewbank AC, Duarte-Benvenuto A, Faita T, Navas-Suárez PE, Vieira JV, Pereira LG, Alves CF, Souza GC, Lemos GG, Silvestre-Perez N, Catão-Dias JL, Keid LB. Short-Finned Pilot Whale Strandings Associated with Pilot Whale Morbillivirus, Brazil. Emerg Infect Dis 2023; 29:214-217. [PMID: 36573734 PMCID: PMC9796215 DOI: 10.3201/eid2901.221549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) causes illness and death in cetaceans worldwide; the CeMV strains circulating in the Southern Hemisphere are poorly known. We detected a pilot whale CeMV strain in 3 short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) stranded in Brazil during July-October 2020. Our results confirm this virus circulates in this species.
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3
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Felipe-Jiménez I, Fernández A, Arbelo M, Segura-Göthlin S, Colom-Rivero A, Suárez-Santana CM, De La Fuente J, Sierra E. Molecular Diagnosis of Cetacean Morbillivirus in Beaked Whales Stranded in the Canary Islands (1999–2017). Vet Sci 2022; 9:vetsci9030121. [PMID: 35324849 PMCID: PMC8950905 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci9030121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A retrospective survey for detecting the cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) was carried out in beaked whales (BWs) stranded in the Canary Islands (1999–2017). CeMV is responsible for causing worldwide epizootic events with the highest mass die-offs in cetaceans, although the epidemic status of the Canarian Archipelago seems to be that of an endemic situation. A total of 319 tissue samples from 55 BWs (35 Cuvier’s BWs and 20 specimens belonging to the Mesoplodon genus) were subjected to the amplification of a fragment of the fusion protein (F) and/or phosphoprotein (P) genes of CeMV by means of one or more of three polymerase chain reactions (PCR). RNA integrity could not be demonstrated in samples from 11 animals. Positivity (dolphin morbillivirus strain (DMV)) was detected in the skin sample of only a subadult male Cuvier’s BW stranded in 2002, being the earliest confirmed occurrence of DMV in the Cuvier’s BW species. The obtained P gene sequence showed the closest relationship with other DMVs detected in a striped dolphin stranded in the Canary Islands in the same year. A phylogenetic analysis supports a previous hypothesis of a cross-species infection and the existence of the circulation of endemic DMV strains in the Atlantic Ocean similar to those later detected in the North-East Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea and the South-West Pacific.
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4
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Marutani VHB, Miyabe F, Alfieri AF, Domit C, de Matos AMRN, Filho MRCM, Bracarense APFRL. Systematic beach monitoring as a health assessment tool: Cetacean morbillivirus under non-epizootic circumstances in stranded dolphins. Transbound Emerg Dis 2021; 69:e96-e103. [PMID: 34331405 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14271] [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: 05/21/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) was identified as the etiologic agent of several epizootic episodes worldwide. Most of these studies are based on unusual mortality events or identification of new viral strains. We investigated the occurrence of CeMV under non-epizootic circumstances at a world heritage in Southern Brazil by a combination of pathologic, immunohistochemical and molecular assays. From 325 stranded cetaceans, 40 were included. Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) was the most frequent species. Interstitial pneumonia and non-suppurative encephalitis were the main pathologic findings associated with CeMV infection. Intracytoplasmic immunolabelling anti-CeMV was observed mainly in lungs and lymph nodes. All samples were negative in reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay. Diagnosis of CeMV is challenging in areas where epizootic episodes have not been recorded and due to post-mortem changes. We observed a CeMV prevalence of 27.5%. The results described here increase the knowledge about CeMV under non-epizootic conditions in Brazil and worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Flávia Miyabe
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Alice Fernandes Alfieri
- Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil
| | - Camila Domit
- Centros de Estudos do Mar, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Pontal do Paraná, Paraná, Brazil
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5
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Wessels ME, Deaville R, Perkins MW, Jepson PD, Penrose R, Rocchi MS, Maley M, Ballingall KT, Dagleish MP. Novel Presentation of DMV-Associated Encephalitis in a Long-Finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas). J Comp Pathol 2021; 183:51-56. [PMID: 33714432 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2021.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) is an important global cause of morbidity and mortality in cetacean populations, with four pathological presentations including non-suppurative encephalitis. We describe an unusual case of dolphin morbillivirus (DMV)-associated non-suppurative encephalitis in a long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas), in which the lesions were orientated on the periventricular white matter and comprised prominent multifocal syncytia formation in the absence of systemic lesions. DMV RNA was detected in brain tissue by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry for morbillivirus antigen yielded intense labelling of syncytia in periventricular sites, with sparse involvement of the deeper neuroparenchyma. The pattern of lesions raises the possibility of viral dissemination through the cerebrospinal fluid, as described for canine distemper virus, suggesting that similar pathogenic mechanisms may be implicated in lesion development. Further investigation is required to establish the pathogenesis of CeMV encephalitis and the behaviour of the virus within the central nervous system of cetaceans.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Robert Deaville
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK
| | - Matthew W Perkins
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK
| | - Paul D Jepson
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, UK
| | - Rod Penrose
- Marine Environmental Monitoring, Llechryd, Cardigan, Ceredigion, UK
| | - Mara S Rocchi
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Madeleine Maley
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Keith T Ballingall
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Mark P Dagleish
- Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Edinburgh, UK
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Manhães BMR, Santos-Neto EB, Tovar LR, Guari EB, Flach L, Kasper D, Galvão PMA, Malm O, Gonçalves RA, Bisi TL, Azevedo AF, Lailson-Brito J. Changes in mercury distribution and its body burden in delphinids affected by a morbillivirus infection: Evidences of methylmercury intoxication in Guiana dolphin. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 263:128286. [PMID: 33297230 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
An unusual mortality event (UME) attributed to morbillivirus infection was identified in two Guiana dolphin populations from the Southeastern Brazilian coast. The aim of this study was to characterize total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg) and selenium (Se) bioaccumulation and body burden in Guiana dolphins from Sepetiba Bay (RJ) collected before (n = 61) and during the UME (n = 20). Significantly lower Se concentrations were found in the livers of individuals collected during the UME (Mann-Whitney test; p = 0.03), probably due to impairment of the detoxification process in the liver. There were differences in THg and Se concentrations in the organs and tissues of individuals (Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.05), but not MeHg (Kruskal-Wallis test, p = 0.07). For THg, the liver showed the higher concentrations and differed among organs and tissues analyzed such as blubber (Tukey's test for unequal N; p = 0.003). For Se concentrations, the skin and kidney presented the higher concentrations and varied among other tissues/organs, like muscle (Tukey's test for unequal N; p = 0.02). Differences in body burdens were observed among specimens collected previously and during the UME probably due to the remobilization and transport of the muscle-stored MeHg to other tissues/organs. This abrupt input of MeHg into the bloodstream may cause serious health damage. Indeed, evidences of methylmercury intoxication was observed in Guiana dolphins in Sepetiba Bay. In conclusion, bioaccumulation patterns, the detoxification process and body burden were affected by morbillivirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- B M R Manhães
- Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores ''Prof(a). Izabel Gurgel'' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 4002, CEP 20550-013, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Biológicas (Biofísica), Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - E B Santos-Neto
- Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores ''Prof(a). Izabel Gurgel'' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 4002, CEP 20550-013, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - L R Tovar
- Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores ''Prof(a). Izabel Gurgel'' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 4002, CEP 20550-013, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - E B Guari
- Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores ''Prof(a). Izabel Gurgel'' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 4002, CEP 20550-013, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - L Flach
- Instituto Boto Cinza, Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro, Av. Do Canal, 141, Brasilinha, CEP 23860-000, Itacuruçá, Mangaratiba, RJ, Brazil
| | - D Kasper
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373 Sala G0-61, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - P M A Galvão
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373 Sala G0-61, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - O Malm
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373 Sala G0-61, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - R A Gonçalves
- Departamento de Química, Pontifícia Universidade Catolica Do Rio de Janeiro, Rua Marquês de São Vicente 225, CEP 22451-900, Gávea, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - T L Bisi
- Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores ''Prof(a). Izabel Gurgel'' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 4002, CEP 20550-013, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - A F Azevedo
- Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores ''Prof(a). Izabel Gurgel'' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 4002, CEP 20550-013, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - J Lailson-Brito
- Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos e Bioindicadores ''Prof(a). Izabel Gurgel'' (MAQUA), Faculdade de Oceanografia, Universidade Do Estado Do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Sala 4002, CEP 20550-013, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Ciências Biológicas (Biofísica), Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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Cuvertoret-Sanz M, López-Figueroa C, O'Byrne A, Canturri A, Martí-Garcia B, Pintado E, Pérez L, Ganges L, Cobos A, Abarca ML, Raga JA, Van Bressem MF, Domingo M. Causes of cetacean stranding and death on the Catalonian coast (western Mediterranean Sea), 2012-2019. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2020; 142:239-253. [PMID: 33331291 DOI: 10.3354/dao03550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The causes of cetacean stranding and death along the Catalan coast between 2012 and 2019 were systematically investigated. Necropsies and detailed pathological investigations were performed on 89 well-preserved stranded cetaceans, including 72 striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba, 9 Risso's dolphins Grampus griseus, 5 bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus, 1 common dolphin Delphinus delphis, 1 Cuvier's beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris and 1 fin whale Balaenoptera physalus. The cause of death was determined for 89.9% of the stranded cetaceans. Fisheries interaction was the most frequent cause of death in striped dolphins (27.8%) and bottlenose dolphins (60%). Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) was detected on the Catalan coast from 2016 to 2017, causing systemic disease and death in 8 of the 72 (11.1%) striped dolphins. Chronic CeMV infection of the central nervous system was observed from 2018-2019 in a further 5 striped dolphins. Thus, acute and chronic CeMV disease caused mortality in 18% of striped dolphins and 14.6% of all 89 cetaceans. Brucella ceti was isolated in 6 striped dolphins and 1 bottlenose dolphin with typical brucellosis lesions and in 1 striped dolphin with systemic CeMV. Sinusitis due to severe infestation by the nematode parasite Crassicauda grampicola caused the death of 4 out of 6 adult Risso's dolphins. Maternal separation, in some cases complicated with septicemia, was a frequent cause of death in 13 of 14 calves. Other less common causes of death were encephalomalacia of unknown origin, septicemia, peritonitis due to gastric perforation by parasites and hepatitis caused by Sarcocystis spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Cuvertoret-Sanz
- Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
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Pneumonia in endangered aquatic mammals and the need for developing low-coverage vaccination for their management and conservation. Anim Health Res Rev 2020; 21:122-130. [PMID: 33292914 DOI: 10.1017/s1466252320000158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities can lead to several devastating effects on the environment. The pollutants, which include the discharge of effluents, runoffs in the form of different lethal and sub-lethal concentrations of pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants, can harm exposed fauna and flora. The aquatic environment is the ultimate destination for many pollutants which negatively affect aquatic biodiversity and even can cause a species to become extinct. A pollutant can directly affect the behavior of an animal, disrupt cellular systems, and impair the immune system. This harm can be reduced and even mitigated by adopting proper approaches for the conservation of the target biota. Among aquatic organisms, cetaceans, such as the Yangtze finless porpoise, Irrawaddy dolphin, Ganges River dolphin, Amazon River dolphin, and Indus River dolphin, are at a higher risk of extinction because of lack of knowledge and research, and thus insufficient information with respect to their conservation status, management, and policies. Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of mass mortalities of cetaceans. This article reviews the limited research reported on stress and pneumonia induced by pollution, stress-induced pneumonia and immunosuppression, pneumonia-caused mass mortalities of aquatic mammals, and vaccination in wildlife with a specific focus on aquatic mammals, the role of genomics in vaccine development and vaccination, and the major challenges in vaccine development for biodiversity conservation.
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POSTMORTEM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FINDINGS IN A CASE OF COINFECTION OF DOLPHIN MORBILLIVIRUS AND ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS IN A JUVENILE BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN ( TURSIOPS TRUNCATUS). J Zoo Wildl Med 2020; 51:448-454. [PMID: 32549578 DOI: 10.1638/2019-0087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A freshly dead juvenile bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), recovered from the waters near Sand Key, Clearwater, FL, was imaged postmortem using computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging prior to conventional necropsy. The pattern of imaging findings in the brain was compatible with severe multifocal meningoencephalitis with intralesional necrosis and/or hemorrhage, and the pattern of imaging findings in the lungs was compatible with severe multifocal bronchopneumonia. The subsequent investigation included necropsy, histology, culture, and molecular diagnostics and demonstrated disseminated coinfection of dolphin morbillivirus and Aspergillus fumigatus. This is the first report documenting the cross-sectional imaging findings of this important cetacean comorbidity and demonstrates advances in modern, cooperative investigations of marine mammal mortality events.
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Nabi G, Khan S. Risk of COVID-19 pneumonia in aquatic mammals. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 188:109732. [PMID: 32502685 PMCID: PMC7255329 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
•The SARS-CoV-2 can enter the oceans, rivers, and lakes in several ways. •Aquatic mammals can recognise the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2. •Cetacean species should be screened and monitored for the virus during a pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghulam Nabi
- Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, China.
| | - Suliman Khan
- Department of Cerebrovascular Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China; Henan Medical Key Laboratory of Translational Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, China.
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Sierra E, Fernández A, Felipe-Jiménez I, Zucca D, Di Francesco G, Díaz-Delgado J, Sacchini S, Rivero MA, Arbelo M. Neurobrucellosis in a common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) stranded in the Canary Islands. BMC Vet Res 2019; 15:353. [PMID: 31638986 PMCID: PMC6805616 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-019-2089-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Brucella spp. isolation is increasingly reported in cetaceans, although associated pathologies, including lesions of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, are less frequently described. Concerning the nervous system, Brucella sp. infection causing meningitis, meningoencephalitis or meningoencephalomyelitis have been extensively reported in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), and less frequently in other cetacean species. Case presentation A juvenile female common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was found stranded alive in Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain) in 2005, but died shortly after. On physical examination, the dolphin showed a moderate body condition and was classified as code 2 (fresh dead) at the time of necropsy. The main gross findings were severe multiorgan parasitism, thickened and congested leptomeninges, and (sero)fibrino-suppurative and proliferative arthritis of the shoulder joint. Histopathological examination revealed the distinct features of a sub-acute systemic disease associated with Cetacean Morbillivirus (CeMV) infection. However, brain lesions diverged from those reported in systemic CeMV infection. This led to suspect that there was a coinfecting pathogen, based on the characteristics of the inflammatory response and the lesion distribution pattern in the central nervous system. Brucella sp. was detected in the brain tissue by PCR and Brucella antigen was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in the brain and shoulder joint lesions. Conclusions The zoonotic potential of marine mammal strains of Brucella has been demonstrated both in natural and laboratory conditions. In this study, PCR detected Brucella sp. in the brain of a common bottlenose dolphin stranded in the Canary Islands; the dolphin was also co-infected with CeMV. This is the first detection of Brucella sp. infection in a stranded cetacean in this archipelago. Therefore, we stress the importance of taking adequate measures during the handling of these species to prevent the transmissions of the infection to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Sierra
- Division of Histology and Animal Pathology, Institute for Animal Health and Food Security (IUSA), Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35416, Arucas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Antonio Fernández
- Division of Histology and Animal Pathology, Institute for Animal Health and Food Security (IUSA), Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35416, Arucas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain.
| | - Idaira Felipe-Jiménez
- Division of Histology and Animal Pathology, Institute for Animal Health and Food Security (IUSA), Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35416, Arucas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Daniele Zucca
- Division of Histology and Animal Pathology, Institute for Animal Health and Food Security (IUSA), Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35416, Arucas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Gabriella Di Francesco
- National and international Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Abruzzo e Molise, Teramo, Italy
| | - Josué Díaz-Delgado
- Division of Histology and Animal Pathology, Institute for Animal Health and Food Security (IUSA), Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35416, Arucas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain.,Laboratory of Wildlife Comparative Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.,Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL), College Station, TX, USA
| | - Simona Sacchini
- Division of Histology and Animal Pathology, Institute for Animal Health and Food Security (IUSA), Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35416, Arucas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Miguel A Rivero
- Division of Histology and Animal Pathology, Institute for Animal Health and Food Security (IUSA), Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35416, Arucas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Manuel Arbelo
- Division of Histology and Animal Pathology, Institute for Animal Health and Food Security (IUSA), Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35416, Arucas, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
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12
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Ohishi K, Maruyama T, Seki F, Takeda M. Marine Morbilliviruses: Diversity and Interaction with Signaling Lymphocyte Activation Molecules. Viruses 2019; 11:E606. [PMID: 31277275 PMCID: PMC6669707 DOI: 10.3390/v11070606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological reports of phocine distemper virus (PDV) and cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) have accumulated since their discovery nearly 30 years ago. In this review, we focus on the interaction between these marine morbilliviruses and their major cellular receptor, the signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM). The three-dimensional crystal structure and homology models of SLAMs have demonstrated that 35 residues are important for binding to the morbillivirus hemagglutinin (H) protein and contribute to viral tropism. These 35 residues are essentially conserved among pinnipeds and highly conserved among the Caniformia, suggesting that PDV can infect these animals, but are less conserved among cetaceans. Because CeMV can infect various cetacean species, including toothed and baleen whales, the CeMV-H protein is postulated to have broader specificity to accommodate more divergent SLAM interfaces and may enable the virus to infect seals. In silico analysis of viral H protein and SLAM indicates that each residue of the H protein interacts with multiple residues of SLAM and vice versa. The integration of epidemiological, virological, structural, and computational studies should provide deeper insight into host specificity and switching of marine morbilliviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazue Ohishi
- Faculty of Engineering, Tokyo Polytechnic University, 1583, Iiyama, Atsugi, Kanagawa 243-0297, Japan.
| | - Tadashi Maruyama
- School of Marine Biosciences, Kitasato University, 1-15-1, Kitazato, Minami, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-0373, Japan
| | - Fumio Seki
- Department of Virology III, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-7-1, Gakuen, Musashimurayama, Tokyo 208-0011, Japan
| | - Makoto Takeda
- Department of Virology III, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-7-1, Gakuen, Musashimurayama, Tokyo 208-0011, Japan
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Díaz-Delgado J, Groch KR, Ressio R, Riskallah IPJ, Sierra E, Sacchini S, Quesada-Canales Ó, Arbelo M, Fernández A, Santos-Neto E, Ikeda J, de Carvalho RR, Azevedo ADF, Lailson-Brito J, Flach L, Kanamura CT, Fernandes NCCA, Cogliati B, Centelleghe C, Mazzariol S, Di Renzo L, Di Francesco G, Di Guardo G, Catão-Dias JL. Comparative Immunopathology of Cetacean morbillivirus Infection in Free-Ranging Dolphins From Western Mediterranean, Northeast-Central, and Southwestern Atlantic. Front Immunol 2019; 10:485. [PMID: 30936878 PMCID: PMC6431672 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV; Paramyxoviridae) causes epizootic and interepizootic fatalities in odontocetes and mysticetes worldwide. Studies suggest there is different species-specific susceptibility to CeMV infection, with striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) ranking among the most susceptible cetacean hosts. The pathogenesis of CeMV infection is not fully resolved. Since no previous studies have evaluated the organ-specific immunopathogenetic features of CeMV infection in tissues from infected dolphins, this study was aimed at characterizing and comparing immunophenotypic profiles of local immune responses in lymphoid organs (lymph nodes, spleen), lung and CNS in CeMV-molecularly (RT-PCR)-positive cetaceans from Western Mediterranean, Northeast-Central, and Southwestern Atlantic. Immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses targeted molecules of immunologic interest: caspase 3, CD3, CD20, CD57, CD68, FoxP3, MHCII, Iba1, IFNγ, IgG, IL4, IL10, lysozyme, TGFβ, and PAX5. We detected consistent CeMV-associated inflammatory response patterns. Within CNS, inflammation was dominated by CD3+ (T cells), and CD20+ and PAX5+ (B cells) lymphocytes, accompanied by fewer Iba1+, CD68+, and lysozyme+ histiocytes, mainly in striped dolphins and bottlenose dolphins. Multicentric lymphoid depletion was characterized by reduced numbers of T cells and B cells, more pronounced in Guiana dolphins. Striped dolphins and bottlenose dolphins often had hyperplastic (regenerative) phenomena involving the aforementioned cell populations, particularly chronically infected animals. In the lung, there was mild to moderate increase in T cells, B cells, and histiocytes. Additionally, there was a generalized increased expression of caspase 3 in lymphoid, lung, and CNS tissues. Apoptosis, therefore, is believed to play a major role in generalized lymphoid depletion and likely overt immunosuppression during CeMV infection. No differences were detected regarding cytokine immunoreactivity in lymph nodes, spleen, and lung from infected and non-infected dolphins by semiquantitative analysis; however, there was striking immunoreactivity for IFNγ in the CNS of infected dolphins. These novel results set the basis for tissue-specific immunophenotypic responses during CeMV infection in three highly susceptible delphinid species. They also suggest a complex interplay between viral and host's immune factors, thereby contributing to gain valuable insights into similarities, and differences of CeMV infection's immunopathogenesis in relation to body tissues, CeMV strains, and cetacean hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josué Díaz-Delgado
- Laboratory of Wildlife Comparative Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Kátia R. Groch
- Laboratory of Wildlife Comparative Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Ressio
- Pathology Center, Adolfo Lutz Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Isis P. J. Riskallah
- Pathology Center, Adolfo Lutz Institute, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratory of Morphologic and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Eva Sierra
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Health and Food Safety, University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, Arucas, Spain
| | - Simona Sacchini
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Health and Food Safety, University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, Arucas, Spain
| | - Óscar Quesada-Canales
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Health and Food Safety, University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, Arucas, Spain
| | - Manuel Arbelo
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Health and Food Safety, University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, Arucas, Spain
| | - Antonio Fernández
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Animal Health and Food Safety, University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, Arucas, Spain
| | - Elitieri Santos-Neto
- Laboratory of Aquatic Mammals and Bioindicators: Profa Izabel M. G. do N. Gurgel' (MAQUA), Faculty of Oceanography, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Joana Ikeda
- Laboratory of Aquatic Mammals and Bioindicators: Profa Izabel M. G. do N. Gurgel' (MAQUA), Faculty of Oceanography, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rafael Ramos de Carvalho
- Laboratory of Aquatic Mammals and Bioindicators: Profa Izabel M. G. do N. Gurgel' (MAQUA), Faculty of Oceanography, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Alexandre de Freitas Azevedo
- Laboratory of Aquatic Mammals and Bioindicators: Profa Izabel M. G. do N. Gurgel' (MAQUA), Faculty of Oceanography, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jose Lailson-Brito
- Laboratory of Aquatic Mammals and Bioindicators: Profa Izabel M. G. do N. Gurgel' (MAQUA), Faculty of Oceanography, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Flach
- Instituto Boto Cinza, Mangaratiba, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | | | - Bruno Cogliati
- Laboratory of Morphologic and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cinzia Centelleghe
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Hygiene (BCA), University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Hygiene (BCA), University of Padova, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Ludovica Di Renzo
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”, Teramo, Italy
| | - Gabriella Di Francesco
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”, Teramo, Italy
| | | | - José Luiz Catão-Dias
- Laboratory of Wildlife Comparative Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Sierra E, Fernández A, Zucca D, Câmara N, Felipe-Jiménez I, Suárez-Santana C, de Quirós YB, Díaz-Delgado J, Arbelo M. Morbillivirus infection in Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus: a phylogenetic and pathological study of cases from the Canary Islands. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2018; 129:165-174. [PMID: 30154276 DOI: 10.3354/dao03248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The earliest evidence of cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) infection dates from 1982, when the dolphin morbillivirus strain (DMV) was identified in bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus stranded in the mid-Atlantic region. Since then, CeMV has been detected globally in at least 26 species of mysticetes and odontocetes, causing widespread mortality and a wide range of pathological effects. In the Canary Islands, DMV and pilot whale morbillivirus have been detected in cetacean species, including short-finned pilot whales Globicephala macrorhynchus and bottlenose dolphins. Risso's dolphins Grampus griseus have been reported year-round in waters of the Canary Islands and are considered a resident species. No information is currently available on CeMV prevalence in this species in this ocean region. We searched for evidence of CeMV infection in 12 Risso's dolphins stranded in the Canary Islands from 2003 to 2015 by means of histopathology, PCR and immunohistochemistry. PCR revealed 2 CeMV-positive animals (16.6%). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the strains from the 2 positive specimens were phylogenetically quite distant, proving that more than 1 strain infects the Risso's dolphin population in this region. We also determined that the strain detected in one of the specimens mainly circulated in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean from 2007 to 2013.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Sierra
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Institute of Animal Health, Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Las Palmas, Spain
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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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Efficient isolation on Vero.DogSLAMtag cells and full genome characterization of Dolphin Morbillivirus (DMV) by next generation sequencing. Sci Rep 2018; 8:860. [PMID: 29339753 PMCID: PMC5770449 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19269-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The Dolphin Morbillivirus (DMV) genome from the first Mediterranean epidemic (1990-’92) is the only cetacean Morbillivirus that has been completely sequenced. Here, we report the first application of next generation sequencing (NGS) to morbillivirus infection of aquatic mammals. A viral isolate, representative of the 2006-’08 Mediterranean epidemic (DMV_IZSPLV_2008), efficiently grew on Vero.DogSLAMtag cells and was submitted to whole genome characterization by NGS. The final genome length was 15,673 nucleotides, covering 99.82% of the DMV reference genome. Comparison of DMV_IZSPLV_2008 and 1990-’92 DMV strain sequences revealed 157 nucleotide mutations and 47 amino acid changes. The sequence similarity was 98.7% at the full genome level. Whole-genome phylogeny suggested that the DMV strain circulating during the 2006-’08 epidemics emerged from the 1990-’92 DMV strain. Viral isolation is considered the “gold standard” for morbillivirus diagnostics but efficient propagation of infectious virus is difficult to achieve. The successful cell replication of this strain allowed performing NGS directly from the viral RNA, without prior PCR amplification. We therefore provide to the scientific community a second DMV genome, representative of another major outbreak. Interestingly, genome comparison revealed that the neglected L gene encompasses 74% of the genetic diversity and might serve as “hypervariable” target for strain characterization.
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Extensive Core Microbiome in Drone-Captured Whale Blow Supports a Framework for Health Monitoring. mSystems 2017; 2:mSystems00119-17. [PMID: 29034331 PMCID: PMC5634792 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00119-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The pulmonary system is a common site for bacterial infections in cetaceans, but very little is known about their respiratory microbiome. We used a small, unmanned hexacopter to collect exhaled breath condensate (blow) from two geographically distinct populations of apparently healthy humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), sampled in the Massachusetts coastal waters off Cape Cod (n = 17) and coastal waters around Vancouver Island (n = 9). Bacterial and archaeal small-subunit rRNA genes were amplified and sequenced from blow samples, including many of sparse volume, as well as seawater and other controls, to characterize the associated microbial community. The blow microbiomes were distinct from the seawater microbiomes and included 25 phylogenetically diverse bacteria common to all sampled whales. This core assemblage comprised on average 36% of the microbiome, making it one of the more consistent animal microbiomes studied to date. The closest phylogenetic relatives of 20 of these core microbes were previously detected in marine mammals, suggesting that this core microbiome assemblage is specialized for marine mammals and may indicate a healthy, noninfected pulmonary system. Pathogen screening was conducted on the microbiomes at the genus level, which showed that all blow and few seawater microbiomes contained relatives of bacterial pathogens; no known cetacean respiratory pathogens were detected in the blow. Overall, the discovery of a shared large core microbiome in humpback whales is an important advancement for health and disease monitoring of this species and of other large whales. IMPORTANCE The conservation and management of large whales rely in part upon health monitoring of individuals and populations, and methods generally necessitate invasive sampling. Here, we used a small, unmanned hexacopter drone to noninvasively fly above humpback whales from two populations, capture their exhaled breath (blow), and examine the associated microbiome. In the first extensive examination of the large-whale blow microbiome, we present surprising results about the discovery of a large core microbiome that was shared across individual whales from geographically separated populations in two ocean basins. We suggest that this core microbiome, in addition to other microbiome characteristics, could be a useful feature for health monitoring of large whales worldwide.
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Dolphin Morbillivirus in a Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in Denmark, 2016. J Wildl Dis 2017; 53:921-924. [DOI: 10.7589/2016-11-246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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19
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Genomic and structural investigation on dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) in Mediterranean fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). Sci Rep 2017; 7:41554. [PMID: 28134317 PMCID: PMC5278511 DOI: 10.1038/srep41554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) has been deemed as one of the most relevant threats for fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) being responsible for a mortality outbreak in the Mediterranean Sea in the last years. Knowledge of the complete viral genome is essential to understand any structural changes that could modify virus pathogenesis and viral tissue tropism. We report the complete DMV sequence of N, P/V/C, M, F and H genes identified from a fin whale and the comparison of primary to quaternary structure of proteins between this fin whale strain and some of those isolated during the 1990–‘92 and the 2006–‘08 epidemics. Some relevant substitutions were detected, particularly Asn52Ser located on F protein and Ile21Thr on N protein. Comparing mutations found in the fin whale DMV with those occurring in viral strains of other cetacean species, some of them were proven to be the result of diversifying selection, thus allowing to speculate on their role in host adaptation and on the way they could affect the interaction between the viral attachment and fusion with the target host cells.
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20
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Sierra E, Fernández A, Suárez-Santana C, Xuriach A, Zucca D, Bernaldo de Quirós Y, García-Álvarez N, De la Fuente J, Sacchini S, Andrada M, Díaz-Delgado J, Arbelo M. Morbillivirus and Pilot Whale Deaths, Canary Islands, Spain, 2015. Emerg Infect Dis 2016; 22:740-2. [PMID: 26982571 PMCID: PMC4806956 DOI: 10.3201/eid2204.150954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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21
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Bento MCRDM, Eira CICS, Vingada JV, Marçalo AL, Ferreira MCT, Fernandez AL, Tavares LMM, Duarte AISP. New insight into dolphin morbillivirus phylogeny and epidemiology in the northeast Atlantic: opportunistic study in cetaceans stranded along the Portuguese and Galician coasts. BMC Vet Res 2016; 12:176. [PMID: 27566667 PMCID: PMC5002201 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-016-0795-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Screening Atlantic cetacean populations for Cetacean Morbillivirus (CeMV) is essential to understand the epidemiology of the disease. In Europe, Portugal and Spain have the highest cetacean stranding rates, mostly due to the vast extension of coastline. Morbillivirus infection has been associated with high morbidity and mortality in cetaceans, especially in outbreaks reported in the Mediterranean Sea. However, scarce information is available regarding this disease in cetaceans from the North-East Atlantic populations. The presence of CeMV genomic RNA was investigated by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR in samples from 279 specimens stranded along the Portuguese and Galician coastlines collected between 2004 and 2015. Results A total of sixteen animals (n = 16/279, 5.7 %) were positive. The highest prevalence of DMV was registered in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) (n = 14/69; 20.3 %), slightly higher in those collected in Galicia (n = 8/33; 24.2 %) than in Portugal (n = 6/36; 16.7 %). Conclusions Phylogenetic analysis revealed that, despite the low genetic distances between samples, the high posterior probability (PP) values obtained strongly support the separation of the Portuguese and Galician sequences in an independent branch, separately from samples from the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. Furthermore, evidence suggests an endemic rather than an epidemic situation in the striped dolphin populations from Portugal and Galicia, since no outbreaks have been detected and positive samples have been detected annually since 2007, indicating that this virus is actively circulating in these populations and reaching prevalence values as high as 24 % among the Galician samples tested. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-016-0795-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Catarina Isabel Costa Simões Eira
- Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.,Portuguese Wildlife Society, Department of Biology, Minho University, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - José Vitor Vingada
- Portuguese Wildlife Society, Department of Biology, Minho University, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal.,Department of Biology and CESAM, Minho University, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - Ana Luisa Marçalo
- Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.,Portuguese Wildlife Society, Department of Biology, Minho University, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - Marisa Cláudia Teixeira Ferreira
- Portuguese Wildlife Society, Department of Biology, Minho University, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal.,Department of Biology and CBMA, Minho University, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - Alfredo Lopez Fernandez
- Department of Biology and CESAM, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.,Coordinadora para o Estudo dos Mamíferos Mariños, 36380, Gondomar, Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Luís Manuel Morgado Tavares
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ana Isabel Simões Pereira Duarte
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477, Lisbon, Portugal
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Verborgh P, Gauffier P, Esteban R, Giménez J, Cañadas A, Salazar-Sierra JM, de Stephanis R. Conservation Status of Long-Finned Pilot Whales, Globicephala melas, in the Mediterranean Sea. ADVANCES IN MARINE BIOLOGY 2016; 75:173-203. [PMID: 27770984 DOI: 10.1016/bs.amb.2016.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Mediterranean Sea long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) are currently classified as Data Deficient on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Multiple lines of evidence, including molecular genetic and photo-identification mark-recapture analyses, indicate that the Strait of Gibraltar population (distributed from 5.8°W longitude to west of Djibouti Bank and Alborán Dorsal in the Alborán Sea) is differentiated from the Mediterranean Sea population (east of Djibouti Bank and the Alborán Dorsal up to the Ligurian Sea). There is low genetic diversity within the Mediterranean population, and recent gene flow with the Strait of Gibraltar population is restricted. Current total abundance estimates are lacking for the species in the Mediterranean. Pilot whales in the Alborán Sea region were negatively affected by a morbillivirus epizootic from 2006 to 2007, and recovery may be difficult. The Strait of Gibraltar population, currently estimated to be fewer than 250 individuals, decreased by 26.2% over 5 years after the morbillivirus epizootic. Population viability analyses predicted an 85% probability of extinction for this population over the next 100 years. Increasing maritime traffic, increased contaminant burdens, and occasional fisheries interactions may severely impair the capacity of the Strait of Gibraltar population to recover after the decline due to the pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Verborgh
- CIRCE (Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans), Pelayo-Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain.
| | - P Gauffier
- CIRCE (Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans), Pelayo-Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain
| | - R Esteban
- CIRCE (Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans), Pelayo-Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain
| | - J Giménez
- CIRCE (Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans), Pelayo-Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain
| | - A Cañadas
- ALNILAM Research and Conservation, Navacerrada, Madrid, Spain
| | - J M Salazar-Sierra
- CIRCE (Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans), Pelayo-Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain
| | - R de Stephanis
- CIRCE (Conservation, Information and Research on Cetaceans), Pelayo-Algeciras, Cádiz, Spain
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A simultaneous diagnosis and genotyping method for global surveillance of cetacean morbillivirus. Sci Rep 2016; 6:30625. [PMID: 27484954 PMCID: PMC4971491 DOI: 10.1038/srep30625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) is considered one of the most important viral pathogens in cetaceans. CeMV outbreaks of lethal disease have repeatedly been observed in Europe, the Americas, and Australia, while large herds of gregarious species were found to be the likely reservoirs and sources of CeMV infection to susceptible species in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Furthermore, three new strains were detected recently in Hawaii, Brazil and Australia. To clarify the real global distribution of CeMV and possible carriers, we showed a novel technique successfully diagnosing and distinguishing different virus strains (DMV, PWMV and novel CeMVs) using FFPE samples from 1996 to 2011. This efficient method that combines qRT-PCR and high resolution melting (HRM) could be applied to the future retrospective global studies for better understanding of different prevalence and outbreak conditions among ocean basins and the mechanism of variable host response to pathogens.
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McAloose D, Rago MV, Di Martino M, Chirife A, Olson SH, Beltramino L, Pozzi LM, Musmeci L, La Sala L, Mohamed N, Sala JE, Bandieri L, Andrejuk J, Tomaszewicz A, Seimon T, Sironi M, Samartino LE, Rowntree V, Uhart MM. Post-mortem findings in southern right whales Eubalaena australis at Península Valdés, Argentina, 2003-2012. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2016; 119:17-36. [PMID: 27068500 DOI: 10.3354/dao02986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Between 2003 and 2012, 605 southern right whales (SRW; Eubalaena australis) were found dead along the shores of Península Valdés (PV), Argentina. These deaths included alarmingly high annual losses between 2007 and 2012, a peak number of deaths (116) in 2012, and a significant number of deaths across years in calves-of-the-year (544 of 605 [89.9%]; average = 60.4 yr(-1)). Post-mortem examination and pathogen testing were performed on 212 whales; 208 (98.1%) were calves-of-the-year and 48.0% of these were newborns or neonates. A known or probable cause of death was established in only a small number (6.6%) of cases. These included ship strike in a juvenile and blunt trauma or lacerations (n = 5), pneumonia (n = 4), myocarditis (n = 2), meningitis (n = 1), or myocarditis and meningitis (n = 1) in calves. Ante-mortem gull parasitism was the most common gross finding. It was associated with systemic disease in a single 1-2 mo old calf. Immunohistochemical labeling for canine distemper virus, Toxoplasma gondii and Brucella spp., and PCR for cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV), influenza A, and apicomplexan protozoa were negative on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung and brain samples from a subset of whales; PCR for Brucella spp. was positive in a newborn/neonate with pneumonia. Skin samples from whales with gull parasitism were PCR negative for CeMV, poxvirus, and papillomavirus. This is the first long-term study to investigate and summarize notable post-mortem findings in the PV SRW population. Consistent, significant findings within or between years to explain the majority of deaths and those in high-mortality years remain to be identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise McAloose
- Wildlife Conservation Society Zoological Health Program, Bronx, New York 10464, USA
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Di Guardo G, Mazzariol S. Cetacean Morbillivirus-Associated Pathology: Knowns and Unknowns. Front Microbiol 2016; 7:112. [PMID: 26903991 PMCID: PMC4744835 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 01/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The present minireview deals with the pathology of Cetacean Morbillivirus (CeMV) infection in free-ranging cetaceans. In this respect, while "classical" CeMV-associated lesions were observed in the lung, brain, and lymphoid tissues from striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) and pilot whales (Globicephala melas) which were victims of the 1990-1992 and 2006-2008 epidemics in the Western Mediterranean, an apparent reduction in CeMV neurovirulence, along with a different viral antigen's tissue and cell distribution, were found during the 2010-2011 and the 2013 outbreaks in the same area. Of remarkable concern are also the documented CeMV ability to induce maternally acquired infections in wild cetaceans, coupled with the progressively expanding geographic and host range of the virus in both Hemispheres, as well as in conjunction with the intriguing forms of "brain-only" morbilliviral infection increasingly reported in Mediterranean-striped dolphins. Future research in this area should address the virus-host interaction dynamics, with particular emphasis on the cell receptors specifying viral tissue tropism in relation to the different cetacean species and to their susceptibility to infection, as well as to the CeMV strains circulating worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Hygiene, University of Padova Padova, Italy
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PCB pollution continues to impact populations of orcas and other dolphins in European waters. Sci Rep 2016; 6:18573. [PMID: 26766430 PMCID: PMC4725908 DOI: 10.1038/srep18573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 202] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Organochlorine (OC) pesticides and the more persistent polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have well-established dose-dependent toxicities to birds, fish and mammals in experimental studies, but the actual impact of OC pollutants on European marine top predators remains unknown. Here we show that several cetacean species have very high mean blubber PCB concentrations likely to cause population declines and suppress population recovery. In a large pan-European meta-analysis of stranded (n = 929) or biopsied (n = 152) cetaceans, three out of four species:- striped dolphins (SDs), bottlenose dolphins (BNDs) and killer whales (KWs) had mean PCB levels that markedly exceeded all known marine mammal PCB toxicity thresholds. Some locations (e.g. western Mediterranean Sea, south-west Iberian Peninsula) are global PCB “hotspots” for marine mammals. Blubber PCB concentrations initially declined following a mid-1980s EU ban, but have since stabilised in UK harbour porpoises and SDs in the western Mediterranean Sea. Some small or declining populations of BNDs and KWs in the NE Atlantic were associated with low recruitment, consistent with PCB-induced reproductive toxicity. Despite regulations and mitigation measures to reduce PCB pollution, their biomagnification in marine food webs continues to cause severe impacts among cetacean top predators in European seas.
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Jacob JM, West KL, Levine G, Sanchez S, Jensen BA. Initial characterization of novel beaked whale morbillivirus in Hawaiian cetaceans. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2016; 117:215-227. [PMID: 26758655 DOI: 10.3354/dao02941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) is a causative factor in epizootics that have resulted in thousands of deaths throughout the Atlantic and Mediterranean since 1987, but less is known of its presence and significance in the Pacific. The first case of CeMV reported in Hawai'i was in a Longman's beaked whale that stranded in 2010. The initial CeMV sequence from this individual indicated the possibility of a novel strain. To address this, archived samples from cetaceans that stranded in Hawai'i between 1997 and 2014 were screened for CeMV. The beaked whale morbillivirus (BWMV) was detected in 15 individuals representing 12 different species (24% of Code 1 and 2 stranded cetaceans). The earliest detected case was a humpback whale that stranded in 1998. Sequence comparisons of a 2.2 kb sequence spanning the phosphoprotein (P) and nucleocapsid (N) genes strongly suggest that the BWMV represents a novel strain of CeMV present in Hawai'i and the Central Pacific. In contrast to recently reported isolates from Brazil and Australia that may represent a distinct clade, BWMV appears to be more closely related to known strains of CeMV (dolphin morbillivirus; porpoise morbillivirus; and pilot whale morbillivirus). Detection rates with repeat sampling of positive lymph nodes were between 2 and 61%, illustrating the extreme heterogeneity that can occur in affected tissues. Taken together, these results suggest that BWMV may be common and established in Hawaiian cetacean populations. BWMV will be important for understanding CeMV and health threats in the relatively understudied cetaceans of the Pacific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Jacob
- College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Hawai'i Pacific University, 45-045 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, Hawai'i 96744, USA
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Diagnosis of Cetacean morbillivirus: A sensitive one step real time RT fast-PCR method based on SYBR® Green. J Virol Methods 2015; 226:25-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2015.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Revised: 10/04/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Pinzone M, Budzinski H, Tasciotti A, Ody D, Lepoint G, Schnitzler J, Scholl G, Thomé JP, Tapie N, Eppe G, Das K. POPs in free-ranging pilot whales, sperm whales and fin whales from the Mediterranean Sea: Influence of biological and ecological factors. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2015; 142:185-196. [PMID: 26162962 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2015.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2015] [Revised: 06/03/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The pilot whale Globicephala melas, the sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus, and the fin whale Balaenoptera physalus are large cetaceans permanently inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea. These species are subjected to numerous anthropogenic threats such as exposure to high levels of contaminants. Therefore, selected persistent organic pollutants POPs (29 PCBs, 15 organochlorine compounds, 9 PBDEs and 17 PCDD/Fs) were analysed in blubber biopsies of 49 long-finned pilot whales, 61 sperm whales and 70 fin whales sampled in the North Western Mediterranean Sea (NWMS) from 2006 to 2013. Contamination profile and species feeding ecology were then combined through the use of stable isotopes. δ(13)C, δ(15)N values and POPs levels were assessed through IR-MS and GC-MS respectively. To assess the toxic potency of the dioxin-like compounds, the TEQ approach was applied. δ(15)N values were 12.2±1.3‰ for sperm whales, 10.5±0.7‰ for pilot whales and 7.7±0.8‰ in fin whales, positioning sperm whales at higher trophic levels. δ(13)C of the two odontocetes was similar and amounted to -17.3±0.4‰ for sperm whales and -17.8±0.3‰ for pilot whales; whilst fin whales were more depleted (-18.7±0.4‰). This indicates a partial overlap in toothed-whales feeding habitats, while confirms the differences in feeding behaviour of the mysticete. Pilot whales presented higher concentrations than sperm whales for ΣPCBs (38,666±25,731 ng g(-1)lw and 22,849±15,566 ng g(-1) lw respectively), ΣPBDEs (712±412 ng g(-1) lw and 347±173 ng g(-1) lw respectively) and ΣDDTs (46,081±37,506 ng g(-1) lw and 37,647±38,518 ng g(-1) lw respectively). Fin whales presented the lowest values, in accordance with its trophic position (ΣPCBs: 5721±5180 ng g(-1) lw, ΣPBDEs: 177±208 ng g(-1) lw and ΣDDTs: 6643±5549 ng g(-1) lw). Each species was characterized by large inter-individual variations that are more related to sex than trophic level, with males presenting higher contaminant burden than females. The discriminant analysis (DA) confirmed how DDTs and highly chlorinated PCBs were influential in differentiating the three species. Pollutant concentrations of our species were significantly higher than both their Southern Hemisphere and North Atlantic counterparts, possibly due to the particular Mediterranean geomorphology, which influences pollutants distribution and recycle. Dioxin-like PCBs accounted for over 80% of the total TEQ. This study demonstrated (1) an important exposure to pollutants of Mediterranean cetaceans, often surpassing the estimated threshold toxicity value of 17,000 ng g(-1) lw for blubber in marine mammals; and (2) how the final pollutant burden in these animals is strongly influenced not only by the trophic position but also by numerous other factors such as sex, age, body size and geographical distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Pinzone
- Laboratory of Oceanology, MARE Centre, B6c, University of Liege, B6c, Allée du 6 Août, 4000 Liege, Belgium
| | - Hélène Budzinski
- ISM/LPTC, Laboratory of Physical and Chemical Chemistry, University of Bordeaux I, 351 Cours de la Libération, 33405 Bordeaux, France; CNRS, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33400 Talence, France
| | | | - Denis Ody
- WWF-France, 6 Rue des Fabres, 13001 Marseille France
| | - Gilles Lepoint
- Laboratory of Oceanology, MARE Centre, B6c, University of Liege, B6c, Allée du 6 Août, 4000 Liege, Belgium
| | - Joseph Schnitzler
- Laboratory of Oceanology, MARE Centre, B6c, University of Liege, B6c, Allée du 6 Août, 4000 Liege, Belgium
| | - George Scholl
- CART, Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry LSM, University of Liege, B6C, Allée du 6 Août, 4000, Liege, Belgium
| | - Jean-Pierre Thomé
- CART, Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Ecotoxicology LEAE, University of Liege, B6c, Allée du 6 Août 11, 4000 Liege, Belgium
| | - Nathalie Tapie
- ISM/LPTC, Laboratory of Physical and Chemical Chemistry, University of Bordeaux I, 351 Cours de la Libération, 33405 Bordeaux, France; CNRS, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33400 Talence, France
| | - Gauthier Eppe
- CART, Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry LSM, University of Liege, B6C, Allée du 6 Août, 4000, Liege, Belgium
| | - Krishna Das
- Laboratory of Oceanology, MARE Centre, B6c, University of Liege, B6c, Allée du 6 Août, 4000 Liege, Belgium.
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Coinfection and vertical transmission of Brucella and Morbillivirus in a neonatal sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) in Hawaii, USA. J Wildl Dis 2015; 51:227-32. [PMID: 25390763 DOI: 10.7589/2014-04-092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The viral genus Morbillivirus and the bacterial genus Brucella have emerged as important groups of pathogens that are known to affect cetacean health on a global scale, but neither pathogen has previously been reported from endangered sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). A female neonate sperm whale stranded alive and died near Laie on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, US, in May of 2011. Congestion of the cerebrum and enlarged lymph nodes were noted on the gross necropsy. Microscopic findings included lymphoid depletion, chronic meningitis, and pneumonia, suggesting an in utero infection. Cerebrum, lung, umbilicus, and select lymph nodes (tracheobronchial and mediastinal) were positive for Brucella by PCR. Brucella sp. was also cultured from the cerebrum and from mediastinal and tracheobronchial lymph nodes. Twelve different tissues were screened for Morbillivirus by reverse-transcriptase (RT)-PCR and select tissues by immunohistochemistry, but only the tracheobronchial lymph node and spleen were positive by RT-PCR. Pathologic findings observed were likely a result of Brucella, but Morbillivirus may have played a key role in immune suppression of the mother and calf. The in utero infection in this individual strongly supports vertical transmission of both pathogens.
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31
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Profeta F, Di Francesco CE, Marsilio F, Mignone W, Di Nocera F, De Carlo E, Lucifora G, Pietroluongo G, Baffoni M, Cocumelli C, Eleni C, Terracciano G, Ferri N, Di Francesco G, Casalone C, Pautasso A, Mazzariol S, Centelleghe C, Di Guardo G. Retrospective seroepidemiological investigations against Morbillivirus, Toxoplasma gondii and Brucella spp. in cetaceans stranded along the Italian coastline (1998-2014). Res Vet Sci 2015; 101:89-92. [PMID: 26267096 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2015.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2015] [Revised: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 06/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
This study reports the results of seroepidemiological investigations carried out against Morbillivirus, Toxoplasma gondii and Brucella spp. on blood serum samples collected from 70 cetacean specimens found stranded along the Italian coastline between 1998 and 2014. A total number of 23 serum samples (32.8%) obtained from Stenella coeruleoalba, Tursiops truncatus, Balaenoptera physalus and Globicephala melas harboured anti-Morbillivirus neutralizing antibodies. Ten sera (16%) collected from S. coeruleoalba and T. truncatus were found positive against T. gondii, while no antibodies against Brucella spp. were found. These data reveal that stranded cetaceans provide a unique opportunity for monitoring the health status of free-ranging animals living in the Mediterranean Sea, in order to investigate the level of exposure of cetacean populations to selected infectious agents representing a serious threat for aquatic mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Fulvio Marsilio
- University of Teramo, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Teramo, Italy
| | - Walter Mignone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale (IZS) del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | - Marina Baffoni
- University of Teramo, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Teramo, Italy
| | | | - Claudia Eleni
- IZS delle Regioni Lazio e Toscana "M. Aleandri", Italy
| | | | - Nicola Ferri
- IZS dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale", Italy
| | | | - Cristina Casalone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale (IZS) del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Alessandra Pautasso
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale (IZS) del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Italy
| | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Cinzia Centelleghe
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro (PD), Italy
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32
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Mx1 and Mx2 key antiviral proteins are surprisingly lost in toothed whales. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:8036-40. [PMID: 26080416 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1501844112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Viral outbreaks in dolphins and other Delphinoidea family members warrant investigation into the integrity of the cetacean immune system. The dynamin-like GTPase genes Myxovirus 1 (Mx1) and Mx2 defend mammals against a broad range of viral infections. Loss of Mx1 function in human and mice enhances infectivity by multiple RNA and DNA viruses, including orthomyxoviruses (influenza A), paramyxoviruses (measles), and hepadnaviruses (hepatitis B), whereas loss of Mx2 function leads to decreased resistance to HIV-1 and other viruses. Here we show that both Mx1 and Mx2 have been rendered nonfunctional in Odontoceti cetaceans (toothed whales, including dolphins and orcas). We discovered multiple exon deletions, frameshift mutations, premature stop codons, and transcriptional evidence of decay in the coding sequence of both Mx1 and Mx2 in four species of Odontocetes. We trace the likely loss event for both proteins to soon after the divergence of Odontocetes and Mystocetes (baleen whales) ∼33-37 Mya. Our data raise intriguing questions as to what drove the loss of both Mx1 and Mx2 genes in the Odontoceti lineage, a double loss seen in none of 56 other mammalian genomes, and suggests a hitherto unappreciated fundamental genetic difference in the way these magnificent mammals respond to viral infections.
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33
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Van Bressem MF, Duignan PJ, Banyard A, Barbieri M, Colegrove KM, De Guise S, Di Guardo G, Dobson A, Domingo M, Fauquier D, Fernandez A, Goldstein T, Grenfell B, Groch KR, Gulland F, Jensen BA, Jepson PD, Hall A, Kuiken T, Mazzariol S, Morris SE, Nielsen O, Raga JA, Rowles TK, Saliki J, Sierra E, Stephens N, Stone B, Tomo I, Wang J, Waltzek T, Wellehan JFX. Cetacean morbillivirus: current knowledge and future directions. Viruses 2014; 6:5145-81. [PMID: 25533660 PMCID: PMC4276946 DOI: 10.3390/v6125145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 155] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Revised: 12/02/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We review the molecular and epidemiological characteristics of cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) and the diagnosis and pathogenesis of associated disease, with six different strains detected in cetaceans worldwide. CeMV has caused epidemics with high mortality in odontocetes in Europe, the USA and Australia. It represents a distinct species within the Morbillivirus genus. Although most CeMV strains are phylogenetically closely related, recent data indicate that morbilliviruses recovered from Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), from Western Australia, and a Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis), from Brazil, are divergent. The signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) cell receptor for CeMV has been characterized in cetaceans. It shares higher amino acid identity with the ruminant SLAM than with the receptors of carnivores or humans, reflecting the evolutionary history of these mammalian taxa. In Delphinidae, three amino acid substitutions may result in a higher affinity for the virus. Infection is diagnosed by histology, immunohistochemistry, virus isolation, RT-PCR, and serology. Classical CeMV-associated lesions include bronchointerstitial pneumonia, encephalitis, syncytia, and lymphoid depletion associated with immunosuppression. Cetaceans that survive the acute disease may develop fatal secondary infections and chronic encephalitis. Endemically infected, gregarious odontocetes probably serve as reservoirs and vectors. Transmission likely occurs through the inhalation of aerosolized virus but mother to fetus transmission was also reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Françoise Van Bressem
- Cetacean Conservation Medicine Group (CMED), Peruvian Centre for Cetacean Research (CEPEC), Pucusana, Lima 20, Peru
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel.: +49-30-53051397
| | - Pádraig J. Duignan
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AL T2N 4Z6, Canada; E-Mail:
| | - Ashley Banyard
- Wildlife Zoonoses and Vector Borne Disease Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Weybridge, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Michelle Barbieri
- The Marine Mammal Centre, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA; E-Mails: (M.B.); (F.G.)
| | - Kathleen M Colegrove
- Zoological Pathology Program, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Maywood, IL 60153 , USA; E-Mail:
| | - Sylvain De Guise
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, and Connecticut Sea Grant College Program, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Giovanni Di Guardo
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Andrew Dobson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
| | - Mariano Domingo
- Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Autonomous University of Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193, Spain; E-Mail:
| | - Deborah Fauquier
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; E-Mails: (D.F.); (T.K.R.)
| | - Antonio Fernandez
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Institute of Animal Health, Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas 35413, Spain; E-Mails: (A.F.); (E.S.)
| | - Tracey Goldstein
- One Health Institute School of Veterinary Medicine University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Bryan Grenfell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Kátia R. Groch
- Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-207, Brazil; E-Mail:
- Instituto Baleia Jubarte (Humpback Whale Institute), Caravelas, Bahia 45900-000, Brazil
| | - Frances Gulland
- The Marine Mammal Centre, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA; E-Mails: (M.B.); (F.G.)
- Marine Mammal Commission, 4340 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Brenda A Jensen
- Department of Natural Sciences, Hawai`i Pacific University, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Paul D Jepson
- Institute of Zoology, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Ailsa Hall
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 8LB, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Thijs Kuiken
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam 3015 CN, The Netherlands; E-Mail:
| | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Padua 35020, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Sinead E Morris
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
| | - Ole Nielsen
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Central and Arctic Region, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6 , Canada; E-Mail:
| | - Juan A Raga
- Marine Zoology Unit, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, Valencia 22085, Spain; E-Mail:
| | - Teresa K Rowles
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; E-Mails: (D.F.); (T.K.R.)
| | - Jeremy Saliki
- Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA GA 30602 , USA; E-Mail:
| | - Eva Sierra
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Institute of Animal Health, Veterinary School, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas 35413, Spain; E-Mails: (A.F.); (E.S.)
| | - Nahiid Stephens
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Western Australia, Australia; E-Mail:
| | - Brett Stone
- QML Vetnostics, Metroplex on Gateway, Murarrie, Queensland 4172, Australia; E-Mail:
| | - Ikuko Tomo
- South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide 5000, South Australia, Australia; E-Mail:
| | - Jianning Wang
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), East Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia; E-Mail:
| | - Thomas Waltzek
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; E-Mail:
| | - James FX Wellehan
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA; E-Mail:
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34
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Duignan PJ, Van Bressem MF, Baker JD, Barbieri M, Colegrove KM, De Guise S, de Swart RL, Di Guardo G, Dobson A, Duprex WP, Early G, Fauquier D, Goldstein T, Goodman SJ, Grenfell B, Groch KR, Gulland F, Hall A, Jensen BA, Lamy K, Matassa K, Mazzariol S, Morris SE, Nielsen O, Rotstein D, Rowles TK, Saliki JT, Siebert U, Waltzek T, Wellehan JF. Phocine distemper virus: current knowledge and future directions. Viruses 2014; 6:5093-134. [PMID: 25533658 PMCID: PMC4276944 DOI: 10.3390/v6125093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Revised: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 12/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Phocine distemper virus (PDV) was first recognized in 1988 following a massive epidemic in harbor and grey seals in north-western Europe. Since then, the epidemiology of infection in North Atlantic and Arctic pinnipeds has been investigated. In the western North Atlantic endemic infection in harp and grey seals predates the European epidemic, with relatively small, localized mortality events occurring primarily in harbor seals. By contrast, PDV seems not to have become established in European harbor seals following the 1988 epidemic and a second event of similar magnitude and extent occurred in 2002. PDV is a distinct species within the Morbillivirus genus with minor sequence variation between outbreaks over time. There is now mounting evidence of PDV-like viruses in the North Pacific/Western Arctic with serological and molecular evidence of infection in pinnipeds and sea otters. However, despite the absence of associated mortality in the region, there is concern that the virus may infect the large Pacific harbor seal and northern elephant seal populations or the endangered Hawaiian monk seals. Here, we review the current state of knowledge on PDV with particular focus on developments in diagnostics, pathogenesis, immune response, vaccine development, phylogenetics and modeling over the past 20 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pádraig J. Duignan
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada; E-Mails: (P.D.); (K.L.)
| | - Marie-Françoise Van Bressem
- Cetacean Conservation Medicine Group (CMED), Peruvian Centre for Cetacean Research (CEPEC), Pucusana, Lima 20, Peru; E-Mail:
| | - Jason D. Baker
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176, Honolulu, Hawaii 96818, USA; E-Mails: (J.D.B.); (M.B.)
| | - Michelle Barbieri
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 1845 WASP Blvd., Building 176, Honolulu, Hawaii 96818, USA; E-Mails: (J.D.B.); (M.B.)
- The Marine Mammal Centre, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Kathleen M. Colegrove
- Zoological Pathology Program, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Maywood, IL 60153, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Sylvain De Guise
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, and Connecticut Sea Grant College Program, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Rik L. de Swart
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, 3015 CN Rotterdam, The Netherlands; E-Mail:
| | - Giovanni Di Guardo
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Andrew Dobson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-2016, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
| | - W. Paul Duprex
- Department of Microbiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston University, 620 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Greg Early
- Greg Early, Integrated Statistics, 87 Water St, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Deborah Fauquier
- National Marine Fisheries Service/National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; E-Mails: (D.F.); (T.K.R.)
| | - Tracey Goldstein
- One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Simon J. Goodman
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Bryan Grenfell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-2016, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-2220, USA
| | - Kátia R. Groch
- Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-270, Brazil; E-Mail:
| | - Frances Gulland
- The Marine Mammal Centre, Sausalito, CA 94965, USA; E-Mail:
- Marine Mammal Commission, 4340 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Ailsa Hall
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, UK; E-Mail:
| | - Brenda A. Jensen
- Department of Natural Sciences, Hawai’i Pacific University, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Karina Lamy
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada; E-Mails: (P.D.); (K.L.)
| | - Keith Matassa
- Keith Matassa, Pacific Marine Mammal Center, 20612 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA 92651, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, 35020 Legnaro Padua, Italy; E-Mail:
| | - Sinead E. Morris
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-2016, USA; E-Mails: (A.D.); (B.G.); (S.E.M.)
| | - Ole Nielsen
- Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Central and Arctic Region, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, Canada; E-Mail:
| | - David Rotstein
- David Rotstein, Marine Mammal Pathology Services, 19117 Bloomfield Road, Olney, MD 20832, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Teresa K. Rowles
- National Marine Fisheries Service/National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; E-Mails: (D.F.); (T.K.R.)
| | - Jeremy T. Saliki
- Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, GA 30602, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover 30173, Germany; E-Mail:
| | - Thomas Waltzek
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, FL 32611, USA; E-Mail:
| | - James F.X. Wellehan
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, FL 32610, USA; E-Mail:
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Fossi MC, Casini S, Maltese S, Panti C, Spinsanti G, Marsili L. An "ex vivo" model to evaluate toxicological responses to mixtures of contaminants in cetaceans: integumentum biopsy slices. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2014; 29:1107-1121. [PMID: 23339137 DOI: 10.1002/tox.21841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2012] [Revised: 12/10/2012] [Accepted: 12/10/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The need for powerful new tools to detect the effects of chemical pollution, in particular of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on Mediterranean cetaceans led us to develop and apply a suite of sensitive biomarkers for integument biopsies of stranded and free-ranging animals. This multi-response ex vivo method has the aim to detect toxicological effects of contaminant mixtures. In the present study, we applied an ex vivo assay using skin biopsy and liver slices, combining molecular biomarkers [Western blot of Cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and Cytochrome P450 2B (CYP2B)] and gene expression biomarkers (Quantitative real-time PCR of CYP1A1, heat shock protein 70, estrogen receptor alpha and E2F transcription factor) in response to chemical exposure [organochlorines compounds (OCs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and PAHs] for stranded Mediterranean Stenella coeruleoalba. The main goal of this experiment was to identify the biomarker and/or a suite of biomarkers that could best detect the presence of a specific class of pollutants (OCs, PBDEs, and PAHs) or a mixture of them. This multi-response biomarker methodology revealed an high sensitivity and selectivity of responses (such as CYP1A and ER α mRNA variations after OCs and PAHs exposure) and could represent a valid future approach for the study of inter- and intra-species sensitivities to various classes of environmental contaminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Cristina Fossi
- Department of Earth, Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy
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Sierra E, Zucca D, Arbelo M, García-Álvarez N, Andrada M, Déniz S, Fernández A. Fatal systemic morbillivirus infection in bottlenose dolphin, canary islands, Spain. Emerg Infect Dis 2014; 20:269-71. [PMID: 24447792 PMCID: PMC3901504 DOI: 10.3201/eid2002.131463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A systemic morbillivirus infection was diagnosed postmortem in a juvenile bottlenose dolphin stranded in the eastern North Atlantic Ocean in 2005. Sequence analysis of a conserved fragment of the morbillivirus phosphoprotein gene indicated that the virus is closely related to dolphin morbillivirus recently reported in striped dolphins in the Mediterranean Sea.
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Casalone C, Mazzariol S, Pautasso A, Di Guardo G, Di Nocera F, Lucifora G, Ligios C, Franco A, Fichi G, Cocumelli C, Cersini A, Guercio A, Puleio R, Goria M, Podestà M, Marsili L, Pavan G, Pintore A, De Carlo E, Eleni C, Caracappa S. Cetacean strandings in Italy: an unusual mortality event along the Tyrrhenian Sea coast in 2013. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2014; 109:81-86. [PMID: 24781797 DOI: 10.3354/dao02726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
An unusual mortality event involving cetaceans, mainly striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833), occurred along the Tyrrhenian Sea coast of Italy during the first 3 mo of 2013. Based on post-mortem analyses carried out according to body condition on 66 dolphins (54% of stranded animals), several hypotheses to explain the causes of this mortality event were proposed. Although no definitive conclusions can be drawn, dolphin morbillivirus was deemed the most likely cause, although other infectious agents (including Photobacterium damselae damselae and herpesvirus) or environmental factors may also have contributed to this recent mortality event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Casalone
- IZS Piemonte Liguria Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna, 148,10154 Torino, Italy
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van Elk CE, van de Bildt MWG, Jauniaux T, Hiemstra S, van Run PRWA, Foster G, Meerbeek J, Osterhaus ADME, Kuiken T. Is dolphin morbillivirus virulent for white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris)? Vet Pathol 2014; 51:1174-82. [PMID: 24399208 DOI: 10.1177/0300985813516643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The virulence of morbilliviruses for toothed whales (odontocetes) appears to differ according to host species. In 4 species of odontocetes, morbilliviruses are highly virulent, causing large-scale epizootics with high mortality. In 8 other species of odontocetes, including white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), morbilliviruses have been found as an incidental infection. In these species, the virulence of morbilliviruses is not clear. Therefore, the admission of 2 white-beaked dolphins with morbillivirus infection into a rehabilitation center provided a unique opportunity to investigate the virulence of morbillivirus in this species. By phylogenetic analysis, the morbilliviruses in both animals were identified as a dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) most closely related to that detected in a white-beaked dolphin in Germany in 2007. Both animals were examined clinically and pathologically. Case No. 1 had a chronic neural DMV infection, characterized by polioencephalitis in the cerebrum and morbillivirus antigen expression limited to neurons and glial cells. Surprisingly, no nervous signs were observed in this animal during the 6 months before death. Case No. 2 had a subacute systemic DMV infection, characterized by interstitial pneumonia, leucopenia, lymphoid depletion, and DMV antigen expression in mononuclear cells and syncytia in the lung and in mononuclear cells in multiple lymphoid organs. Cause of death was not attributed to DMV infection in either animal. DMV was not detected in 2 contemporaneously stranded white-beaked dolphins. Stranding rate did not increase in the region. These results suggest that DMV is not highly virulent for white-beaked dolphins.
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Affiliation(s)
- C E van Elk
- Dolfinarium Harderwijk, Strandboulevard Oost 1, Harderwijk, Netherlands
| | | | - T Jauniaux
- Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Boulevard de Colonster 20, Liège 1, Belgium
| | - S Hiemstra
- Faculteit Diergeneeskunde, Universiteit Utrecht, Yalelaan 1, De Uithof, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | | | - G Foster
- SAC Veterinary Services, Inverness, United Kingdom
| | - J Meerbeek
- Stichting SOS-Dolfijn, Strandboulevard Oost 1, Harderwijk, Netherlands
| | | | - T Kuiken
- Erasmus Medical Center, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, Netherlands
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Rubio-Guerri C, Melero M, Esperón F, Bellière EN, Arbelo M, Crespo JL, Sierra E, García-Párraga D, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM. Unusual striped dolphin mass mortality episode related to cetacean morbillivirus in the Spanish Mediterranean sea. BMC Vet Res 2013; 9:106. [PMID: 23702190 PMCID: PMC3666923 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2013] [Accepted: 05/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In the last 20 years, Cetacean Morbillivirus (CeMV) has been responsible for many die-offs in marine mammals worldwide, as clearly exemplified by the two dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) epizootics of 1990–1992 and 2006–2008, which affected Mediterranean striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). Between March and April 2011, the number of strandings on the Valencian Community coast (E Spain) increased. Case presentation Necropsy and sample collection were performed in all stranded animals, with good state of conservation. Subsequently, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, conventional reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Universal Probe Library (UPL) RT-PCR assays were performed to identify Morbillivirus. Gross and microscopic findings compatible with CeMV were found in the majority of analyzed animals. Immunopositivity in the brain and UPL RT-PCR positivity in seven of the nine analyzed animals in at least two tissues confirmed CeMV systemic infection. Phylogenetic analysis, based on sequencing part of the phosphoprotein gene, showed that this isolate is a closely related dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) to that responsible for the 2006–2008 epizootics. Conclusion The combination of gross and histopathologic findings compatible with DMV with immunopositivity and molecular detection of DMV suggests that this DMV strain could cause this die-off event.
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Rubio-Guerri C, Melero M, Rivera-Arroyo B, Bellière EN, Crespo JL, García-Párraga D, Esperón F, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM. Simultaneous diagnosis of Cetacean morbillivirus infection in dolphins stranded in the Spanish Mediterranean sea in 2011 using a novel Universal Probe Library (UPL) RT-PCR assay. Vet Microbiol 2013; 165:109-14. [PMID: 23380457 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2012.12.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2012] [Revised: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 12/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A highly sensitive and specific real-time (rt) RT-PCR assay has been developed for rapid, simultaneous detection of three strains of cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV). In this assay, two PCR primers and a hydrolysis probe from a commercially available Universal Probe Library (UPL) are used to amplify a highly conserved region within the fusion protein gene. RT-PCR is carried out on the same sample using two primer sets in parallel: one set detects the more virulent strains, dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) and porpoise morbillivirus (PMV), and the other set detects the least virulent and least common strain, pilot whale morbillivirus (PWMV). Sensitivity analysis using dilute samples containing purified DMV, PMV and PWMV showed that viral RNA detection limits in this UPL RT-PCR assay were lower than in a conventional RT-PCR assay. Our method gave no amplification signal with field samples positive for viruses related and unrelated to CeMV, such as phocine distemper virus (PDV). The reliability and robustness of the UPL RT-PCR assay were verified using tissue samples previously analyzed by conventional methods, as well as a panel of clinical samples suspected of containing CeMV. Using the UPL RT-PCR assay, we were able to associate DMV with a mass stranding of striped dolphins in the Spanish Mediterranean in 2011 with greater reliability than was possible with a conventional RT-PCR method. These results suggest that this UPL RT-PCR method is more sensitive and specific than the conventional approach, and that it may be an affordable and rapid test for routine diagnosis of three CeMV strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Consuelo Rubio-Guerri
- VISAVET Center and Animal Health Department, Veterinary School, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta del Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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Toxoplasmosis in a Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) from Paraná, Brazil. Vet Parasitol 2013; 191:358-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2012] [Revised: 08/11/2012] [Accepted: 09/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Arbelo M, Bellière EN, Sierra E, Sacchinni S, Esperón F, Andrada M, Rivero M, Diaz-Delgado J, Fernández A. Herpes virus infection associated with interstitial nephritis in a beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris). BMC Vet Res 2012; 8:243. [PMID: 23237059 PMCID: PMC3577509 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-8-243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2012] [Accepted: 11/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The capacity for herpesvirus to cause disease in cetaceans is unclear and may be varied depending on the different conditions of individuals and between different species. Kidney pathology and intralesional virus-associated infection have been rarely reported in cetaceans. Result On April 2004, an old adult male Blainville’s beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) 420 cm long with a poor body condition was stranded on Tenerife Island. During necropsy, no gross lesions were observed in the kidneys. However, membranous glomerulonephritis, multifocal interstitial lymphoplasmacytic nephritis and acute multifocal necrotizing tubulointerstitial nephritis with intranuclear inclusion bodies was diagnosed by histological analysis. Tissue samples were submitted for bacteriological analysis and molecular viral screening. Conclusion A novel alpha herpesvirus associated with interstitial nephritis was identified in an old adult male Blainville's beaked whale (M. densirostris) with a poor body condition stranded in the Canary Islands. This report suggests that identification of herpesvirus infection could be used as a differential diagnosis for interstitial nephritis in cetaceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Arbelo
- Unit of Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Institute for Animal Health (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, Spain
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Dolphin morbillivirus infection in a captive harbor seal (Phoca vitulina). J Clin Microbiol 2012; 51:708-11. [PMID: 23224101 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.02710-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
During the second morbillivirus epidemic (2007 to 2011) in cetaceans along the Italian coastline, dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) was detected by molecular analyses in a captive harbor seal (Phoca vitulina), with pathological findings consistent with morbillivirus infection. This report confirms interspecies DMV transmission from cetaceans to pinnipeds.
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44
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Di Guardo G, Di Francesco CE, Eleni C, Cocumelli C, Scholl F, Casalone C, Peletto S, Mignone W, Tittarelli C, Di Nocera F, Leonardi L, Fernández A, Marcer F, Mazzariol S. Morbillivirus infection in cetaceans stranded along the Italian coastline: pathological, immunohistochemical and biomolecular findings. Res Vet Sci 2012; 94:132-7. [PMID: 22921372 DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2012.07.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2012] [Revised: 07/10/2012] [Accepted: 07/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Morbilliviruses are recognized as biological agents highly impacting the health and conservation status of free-ranging cetaceans worldwide, as clearly exemplified by the two Dolphin Morbillivirus (DMV) epidemics of 1990-1992 and 2006-2008 among Mediterranean striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). After these two epidemics, morbilliviral infection (MI) cases with peculiar neurobiological features were reported in striped dolphins stranded along the Spanish coastline. Affected cetaceans showed a subacute-to-chronic, non-suppurative encephalitis, with brain lesions strongly resembling those found in human "subacute sclerosing panencephalitis" and "old dog encephalitis". Brain was the only tissue in which morbilliviral antigen and/or genome could be detected. Beside a case of morbilliviral encephalitis in a striped dolphin's calf stranded in 2009, we observed 5 additional MI cases in 2 striped dolphins, 1 bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and 2 fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), all stranded in 2011 along the Italian coastline. Noteworthy, 3 of these animals (2 striped dolphins and 1 bottlenose dolphin) showed immunohistochemical (IHC) and/or biomolecular (PCR) evidence of morbilliviral antigen and/or genome exclusively in their brain, with 1 striped dolphin and 1 bottlenose dolphin also exhibiting a non-suppurative encephalitis. Furthermore, simultaneous IHC and PCR evidence of a Toxoplasma gondii coinfection was obtained in 1 fin whale. The above results are consistent with those reported in striped dolphins after the two MI epidemics of 1990-92 and 2006-2008, with evidence of morbilliviral antigen and/or genome being found exclusively in the brain tissue from affected animals.
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45
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Mazzariol S, Marcer F, Mignone W, Serracca L, Goria M, Marsili L, Di Guardo G, Casalone C. Dolphin Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii coinfection in a Mediterranean fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus). BMC Vet Res 2012; 8:20. [PMID: 22397492 PMCID: PMC3319419 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-8-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2011] [Accepted: 03/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii have emerged as important pathogens for several cetaceans populations over the last 20 years, they have never been identified together in a Mysticete. In particular, morbilliviral infection has been never described in the Mediterranean fin whale population. CASE PRESENTATION On January 2011 an adult male of fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) stranded along the Tyrrhenian coastline of Italy. During necropsy, tissue samples from heart, skeletal muscle, mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney were collected and subsequently analyzed for Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii by microscopic and molecular methods. Following the detailed necropsy carried out on this whale, molecular analysis revealed, for the first time, the simultaneous presence of a Dolphin Morbillivirus (DMV) and T. gondii infection coexisting with each other, along with high organochlorine pollutant concentrations, with special reference to DDT. CONCLUSION This report, besides confirming the possibility for Mysticetes to be infected with DMV, highlights the risk of toxoplasmosis in sea water for mammals, already immunodepressed by concurrent factors as infections and environmental contaminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, AGRIPOLIS-Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy.
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Bellière EN, Esperón F, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM. Genetic comparison among dolphin morbillivirus in the 1990–1992 and 2006–2008 Mediterranean outbreaks. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2011; 11:1913-20. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2011.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2011] [Revised: 08/09/2011] [Accepted: 08/16/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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Soto S, Alba A, Ganges L, Vidal E, Raga JA, Alegre F, González B, Medina P, Zorrilla I, Martínez J, Marco A, Pérez M, Pérez B, Pérez de Vargas Mesas A, Martínez Valverde R, Domingo M. Post-epizootic chronic dolphin morbillivirus infection in Mediterranean striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2011; 96:187-194. [PMID: 22132497 DOI: 10.3354/dao02387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) has caused 2 epizootics with high mortality rates on the Spanish Mediterranean coast, in 1990 and 2006-07, mainly affecting striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba. Following the first epizootic unusual DMV infections affecting only the central nervous system of striped dolphins were found, with histological features similar to subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and old dog encephalitis, the chronic latent localised infections caused by defective forms of measles virus and canine distemper virus, respectively. Between 2008 and 2010, monitoring by microscopic and immunohistochemical (IHC) studies of 118 striped dolphins stranded along Catalonia, the Valencia Region and Andalusia showed similar localised DMV nervous system infections in 25.0, 28.6 and 27.4% of cases, respectively, with no significant differences among regions or sex. The body length of DMV-infected dolphins was statistically greater than that of non-infected dolphins (196.5 vs. 160.5 cm; p < 0.001). Molecular detection of DMV was performed by 2 different RT-PCR techniques amplifying a 429 bp fragment and a 78 bp fragment both within the phosphoprotein (P) gene. The 429 bp RT-PCR results contradicted the IHC-DMV results as only 3 of 6 dolphins with positive IHC-DMV had positive PCR results. All 6 cases were positive with the 78 bp RT-PCR. These findings contraindicate the use of the 429 bp RT-PCR protocol based on the P gene to detect this specific form of DMV. DMV localised nervous infection constitutes the most relevant single cause of stranding and death in Mediterranean striped dolphins in the years following a DMV epizootic, and it might even overwhelm the effects of the epizootic itself, at least in 2007.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Soto
- 'CRESA (Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal), Campus Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra-Barcelona, Spain.
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Abstract
Among the several threats to which free-ranging cetaceans are exposed, a number of biological noxae are believed to represent a serious hazard to their health and conservation on a global scale, with special emphasis on the Mediterranean Sea. These pathogens include viral agents such as Morbillivirus, which during the last 25 years have caused dramatic epidemics and die-offs among several aquatic mammal species and populations worldwide, as well as Herpesvirus, protozoan agents such as Toxoplasma gondii and bacterial pathogens such as Brucella spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Di Guardo
- University of Teramo, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, 64100 Teramo, Italy.
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49
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Soto S, González R, Alegre F, González B, Medina P, Raga JA, Marco A, Domingo M. Epizootic of dolphin morbillivirus on the Catalonian Mediterranean coast in 2007. Vet Rec 2011; 169:101. [DOI: 10.1136/vr.d1686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Soto
- Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals; Facultat de Veterinària; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellaterra Barcelona Spain
| | - R. González
- Departamento de Patología, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria; Universidad Nacional Autónoma; 3000 Heredia Costa Rica
| | - F. Alegre
- Fundació per la Conservació y Recuperació d'Animals Marins; Carretera de la Platja 28-30, 08820 El Prat de Llobregat Barcelona Spain
| | - B. González
- Fundació per la Conservació y Recuperació d'Animals Marins; Carretera de la Platja 28-30, 08820 El Prat de Llobregat Barcelona Spain
| | - P. Medina
- Fundació per la Conservació y Recuperació d'Animals Marins; Carretera de la Platja 28-30, 08820 El Prat de Llobregat Barcelona Spain
| | - J. A. Raga
- Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva; Universitat de València; Catedrático José Beltrán 2, 46980 Paterna Valencia Spain
| | - A. Marco
- Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals; Facultat de Veterinària; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellaterra Barcelona Spain
| | - M. Domingo
- Departament de Sanitat i d'Anatomia Animals; Facultat de Veterinària; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; 08193 Bellaterra Barcelona Spain
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50
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Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii isolates in meningo-encephalitis affected striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Italy. Vet Parasitol 2011; 183:31-6. [PMID: 21802209 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2011] [Revised: 06/26/2011] [Accepted: 07/05/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
This study reports the occurrence of Toxoplasma gondii in the brain of three striped dolphins (Stenella ceoruleoalba) found stranded on the Ligurian Sea coast of Italy between 2007 and 2008. These animals showed a severe, subacute to chronic, non-purulent, multifocal meningo-encephalitis, with the cerebral parenchyma of two dolphins harbouring protozoan cysts and zoites immunohistochemically linked to T. gondii. Molecular, phylogenetic and mutation scanning analyses showed the occurrence of Type II and of an atypical Type II T. gondii isolates in one and two dolphins, respectively. In spite of the different molecular patterns characterizing the above T. gondii genotypes, the brain lesions observed in the three animals showed common microscopic features, with no remarkable differences among them. The role of T. gondii in causing the meningo-encephalitis is herein discussed.
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