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Abstract
Chlamydiaceae bacteria infect many vertebrate hosts, and previous reports based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and serologic assays that are prone to cross-reaction among chlamydial organisms have been used to describe the prevalence of either DNA fragments or antibodies to Chlamydia spp. in wild raptorial populations. This study reports the PCR-based prevalence of Chlamydiaceae DNA that does not 100% match any avian or mammalian Chlamydiaceae in wild populations of hawks in California Buteo species. In this study, multimucosal swab samples ( n = 291) for quantitative PCR (qPCR) and plasma ( n = 78) for serology were collected from wild hawks. All available plasma samples were negative for antibodies using a C. psittaci-specific elementary body agglutination test (EBA; n = 78). For IgY antibodies all 51 available samples were negative using the indirect immunofluorescent assay. The overall prevalence of Chlamydiaceae DNA detection in wild Buteo species sampled was 1.37% (4/291) via qPCR-based analysis. Two fledgling Swainson's hawks ( Buteo swainsoni) and two juvenile red-tailed hawks ( Buteo jamaicensis) were positive by qPCR-based assay for an atypical chlamydial sequence that did not 100% match any known C. psittaci genotype. Positive swab samples from these four birds were sequenced based on the ompA gene and compared by high-resolution melt analysis with all known avian and mammalian Chlamydiaceae. The amplicon sequence did not 100% match any known avian chlamydial sequence; however, it was most similar (98.6%) to C. psittaci M56, a genotype that is typically found in muskrats and hares. Culture and full genome sequence analysis of Chlamydia spp. isolated from diseased hawks will be necessary to classify this organism and to better understand its epizootiology and potential health impact on wild Buteo populations in California.
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Wilson AE, Fair PA, Carlson RI, Houde M, Cattet M, Bossart GD, Houser DS, Janz DM. Environment, endocrinology, and biochemistry influence expression of stress proteins in bottlenose dolphins. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2019; 32:100613. [PMID: 31382157 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2019.100613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Natural and anthropogenic stressors have been reported to impact the health of marine mammals. Therefore, investigation of quantifiable biomarkers in response to stressors is required. We hypothesized that stress protein expression would be associated with biological and health variables in wild and managed-care bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). To test this hypothesis, our study objectives were to (1) determine if stress proteins in skin, white blood cells (WBCs), and plasma could be measured with an antibody-based microarray, (2) measure stress-protein expression relative to biological data (location, sex, age, environment), and (3) determine if stress-protein expression was associated with endocrine, hematological, biochemical and serological variables and gene expression in bottlenose dolphins. Samples were collected from two wild groups (n = 28) and two managed-care groups (n = 17). Proteins involved in the HPA axis, apoptosis, proteotoxicity, and inflammation were identified as stress proteins. The expression of 3 out of 33 proteins was significantly (P < 0.05) greater in skin than plasma and WBCs. Male dolphins had significantly greater expression levels for 10 proteins in skin compared to females. The greatest number of stress-associated proteins varied by the dolphins' environment; nine were greater in managed-care dolphins and 15 were greater in wild dolphins, which may be related to wild dolphin disease status. Protein expression in skin and WBCs showed many positive relationships with measures of plasma endocrinology and biochemistry. This study provides further understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the stress response in bottlenose dolphins and application of a combination of novel methods to measure stress in wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbey E Wilson
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3, Canada
| | - Patricia A Fair
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Center for Coastal Environmental Health & Biomolecular Research, 219 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, United States of America; Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 221 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412, United States of America
| | - Ruth I Carlson
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3, Canada
| | - Magali Houde
- Aquatic Contaminants Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 105 McGill Street, Montreal, Quebec H2Y 2E7, Canada
| | - Marc Cattet
- RGL Recovery Wildlife Health & Veterinary Services, 415 Mount Allison Crescent, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7H 4A6, Canada
| | - Gregory D Bossart
- Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker St NW, Atlanta, GA 30313, United States of America; Division of Comparative Pathology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, PO Box 016960 (R-46), Miami, FL 33101, United States of America
| | - Dorian S Houser
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Dr, San Diego, CA 92106, United States of America
| | - David M Janz
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 44 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B3, Canada.
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Bossart GD, Romano TA, Peden-Adams MM, Schaefer AM, Rice CD, Fair PA, Reif JS. Comparative Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses in Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus) With Viral, Bacterial, and Fungal Infections. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1125. [PMID: 31231361 PMCID: PMC6558379 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01125] [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: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Free-ranging Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (n = 360) from two southeastern U.S. estuarine sites were given comprehensive health examinations between 2003 and 2015 as part of a multi-disciplinary research project focused on individual and population health. The study sites (and sample sizes) included the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida, USA (n = 246) and Charleston harbor and associated rivers (CHS), South Carolina, USA (n = 114). Results of a suite of clinicoimmunopathologic tests revealed that both populations have a high prevalence of infectious and neoplastic disease and a variety of abnormalities of their innate and adaptive immune systems. Subclinical infections with cetacean morbillivirus and Chlamydiaceae were detected serologically. Clinical evidence of orogenital papillomatosis was supported by the detection of a new strain of dolphin papillomavirus and herpesvirus by molecular pathology. Dolphins with cutaneous lobomycosis/lacaziasis were subsequently shown to be infected with a novel, uncultivated strain of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, now established as the etiologic agent of this enigmatic disease in dolphins. In this review, innate and adaptive immunologic responses are compared between healthy dolphins and those with clinical and/or immunopathologic evidence of infection with these specific viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens. A wide range of immunologic host responses was associated with each pathogen, reflecting the dynamic and complex interplay between the innate, humoral, and cell-mediated immune systems in the dolphin. Collectively, these studies document the comparative innate and adaptive immune responses to various types of infectious diseases in free-ranging Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Evaluation of the type, pattern, and degree of immunologic response to these pathogens provides novel insight on disease immunopathogenesis in this species and as a comparative model. Importantly, the data suggest that in some cases infection may be associated with subclinical immunopathologic perturbations that could impact overall individual and population health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory D. Bossart
- Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Tracy A. Romano
- The Mystic Aquarium, a Division of Sea Research Foundation, Inc., Mystic, CT, United States
| | - Margie M. Peden-Adams
- Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Adam M. Schaefer
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, Ft. Pierce, FL, United States
| | - Charles D. Rice
- Graduate Program in Environmental Toxicology, Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States
| | - Patricia A. Fair
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - John S. Reif
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
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Santoro M, Iaccarino D, Di Nocera F, Degli Uberti B, Lucibelli MG, Borriello G, De Luca G, D'Amore M, Cerrone A, Galiero G. Molecular detection of Chlamydia abortus in a stranded Mediterranean striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2019; 132:203-208. [PMID: 31188135 DOI: 10.3354/dao03320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
This study reports gross, histopathological, and molecular features of a Chlamydia abortus infection in a stranded female striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba from the Tyrrhenian coast of southern Italy. Post-mortem examination revealed liver congestion, splenic lymphoid depletion with capsular petechiae, and pneumonia. Histology revealed disseminated intravascular coagulation with vasculitis and congestion. Hepatocellular and acute myocardial degeneration were also observed. Basophilic, coccobacillary inclusions consistent with Chlamydia spp. were observed histologically in the type II pneumocytes, myocardial fibers, and hepatocytes, and in macrophages and plasma cells of liver, spleen, and prescapular lymph nodes. Chlamydial antigen was detected by immunofluorescence assay using genus-specific anti-Chlamydia antibodies. PCR assay revealed C. abortus in spleen, liver, heart, and lungs. C. abortus was the only pathogen detected. The main pathological changes suggest that Chlamydia infection may have been the cause of stranding and death of the striped dolphin. This case represents the first molecular detection of a member of the Chlamydiaceae in a marine mammal.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Santoro
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Italy
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Bossart GD, Fair P, Schaefer AM, Reif JS. Health and Environmental Risk Assessment Project for bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the southeastern USA. I. Infectious diseases. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2017; 125:141-153. [PMID: 28737159 DOI: 10.3354/dao03142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
From 2003 to 2015, 360 free-ranging Atlantic bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon (IRL, n = 246), Florida, and coastal waters of Charleston (CHS, n = 114), South Carolina, USA, were captured, given comprehensive health examinations, and released as part of a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional study of individual and population health. The aim of this review is to summarize the substantial health data generated by this study and to examine morbidity between capture sites and over time. The IRL and CHS dolphin populations are affected by complex infectious and neoplastic diseases often associated with immunologic disturbances. We found evidence of infection with cetacean morbillivirus, dolphin papilloma and herpes viruses, Chlamydiaceae, a novel uncultivated strain of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (recently identified as the causal agent of dolphin lobomycosis/lacaziasis), and other pathogens. This is the first long-term study documenting the various types, progression, seroprevalence, and pathologic interrelationships of infectious diseases in dolphins from the southeastern USA. Additionally, the study has demonstrated that the bottlenose dolphin is a valuable sentinel animal that may reflect environmental health concerns and parallel emerging public health issues.
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Fair PA, Schaefer AM, Houser DS, Bossart GD, Romano TA, Champagne CD, Stott JL, Rice CD, White N, Reif JS. The environment as a driver of immune and endocrine responses in dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). PLoS One 2017; 12:e0176202. [PMID: 28467830 PMCID: PMC5415355 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0176202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Immune and endocrine responses play a critical role in allowing animals to adjust to environmental perturbations. We measured immune and endocrine related markers in multiple samples from individuals from two managed-care care dolphin groups (n = 82 samples from 17 dolphins and single samples collected from two wild dolphin populations: Indian River Lagoon, (IRL) FL (n = 26); and Charleston, (CHS) SC (n = 19). The immune systems of wild dolphins were more upregulated than those of managed-care-dolphins as shown by higher concentrations of IgG and increases in lysozyme, NK cell function, pathogen antibody titers and leukocyte cytokine transcript levels. Collectively, managed-care care dolphins had significantly lower levels of transcripts encoding pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF, anti-viral MX1 and INFα and regulatory IL-10. IL-2Rα and CD69, markers of lymphocyte activation, were both lower in managed-care care dolphins. IL-4, a cytokine associated with TH2 activity, was lower in managed-care care dolphins compared to the free-ranging dolphins. Differences in immune parameters appear to reflect the environmental conditions under which these four dolphin populations live which vary widely in temperature, nutrition, veterinary care, pathogen/contaminant exposures, etc. Many of the differences found were consistent with reduced pathogenic antigenic stimulation in managed-care care dolphins compared to wild dolphins. Managed-care care dolphins had relatively low TH2 lymphocyte activity and fewer circulating eosinophils compared to wild dolphins. Both of these immunologic parameters are associated with exposure to helminth parasites which is uncommon in managed-care care dolphins. Less consistent trends were observed in a suite of hormones but significant differences were found for cortisol, ACTH, total T4, free T3, and epinephrine. While the underlying mechanisms are likely multiple and complex, the marked differences observed in the immune and endocrine systems of wild and managed-care care dolphins appear to be shaped by their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia A. Fair
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Center for Coastal Environmental Health & Biomolecular Research, Charleston, SC, United States of America
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States of America
- * E-mail: ,
| | - Adam M. Schaefer
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution at Florida Atlantic University, Ft. Pierce, FL, United States of America
| | - Dorian S. Houser
- Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Gregory D. Bossart
- Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
- Division of Comparative Pathology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Tracy A. Romano
- Mystic Aquarium, a division of Sea Research Foundation, Mystic, CT, United States of America
| | | | | | - Charles D. Rice
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate Program in Environmental Toxicology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States of America
| | - Natasha White
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Center for Coastal Environmental Health & Biomolecular Research, Charleston, SC, United States of America
| | - John S. Reif
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States of America
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Nouri-Shirazi M, Bible BF, Zeng M, Tamjidi S, Bossart GD. Phenotyping and comparing the immune cell populations of free-ranging Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and dolphins under human care. BMC Vet Res 2017; 13:78. [PMID: 28347312 PMCID: PMC5369205 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-017-0998-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Studies suggest that free-ranging bottlenose dolphins exhibit a suppressed immune system because of exposure to contaminants or microorganisms. However, due to a lack of commercially available antibodies specific to marine mammal immune cell surface markers, the research has been indecisive. The purpose of this study was to identify cross-reactive terrestrial-specific antibodies in order to assess the changes in the immune cell populations of dolphins under human care and free-ranging dolphins. The blood and PBMC fraction of blood samples from human care and free-ranging dolphins were characterized by H&E staining of cytospin slides and flow cytometry using a panel of terrestrial-specific antibodies. Results In this study, we show that out of 65 terrestrial-specific antibodies tested, 11 were cross-reactive and identified dolphin immune cell populations within their peripheral blood. Using these antibodies, we found significant differences in the absolute number of cells expressing specific markers within their lymphocyte and monocyte fractions. Interestingly, the peripheral blood mononuclear cell profile of free-ranging dolphins retained an additional population of cells that divided them into two groups showing a low (<27%) or high (>56%) percentage of smaller cells resembling granulocytes. Conclusions We found that the cross-reactive antibodies not only identified specific changes in the immune cells of free-ranging dolphins, but also opened the possibility to investigate the causal relationship between immunosuppression and mortality seen in free-ranging dolphins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahyar Nouri-Shirazi
- Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Integrated Medical Science Department, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, PO Box 3091, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA.
| | - Brittany F Bible
- Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Integrated Medical Science Department, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, PO Box 3091, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA
| | - Menghua Zeng
- Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Integrated Medical Science Department, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, PO Box 3091, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA.,Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016, People's Republic of China
| | - Saba Tamjidi
- Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Integrated Medical Science Department, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, PO Box 3091, Boca Raton, FL, 33431, USA
| | - Gregory D Bossart
- Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street, NW, Atlanta, GA, S, USA.,Division of Comparative Pathology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, PO Box 016960 (R-46), Miami, FL, 33101, USA
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Burnard D, Polkinghorne A. Chlamydial infections in wildlife-conservation threats and/or reservoirs of 'spill-over' infections? Vet Microbiol 2016; 196:78-84. [PMID: 27939160 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2016.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Revised: 10/12/2016] [Accepted: 10/14/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Members of the order Chlamydiales are biphasic intracellular pathogens known to cause disease in both humans and animals. As we learn more about the genetic diversity of this group of pathogens, evidence is growing that these bacteria infect a broader range of animal hosts than previously thought. Over 400 host species are now documented globally with the majority of these being wild animals. Given the impact of chlamydial infections on humans and domesticated animals, the identification of members of the order Chlamydiales in wildlife raises significant questions over a) their impact on animal health and b) the relationships to those strains also found in humans and domestic animals. In some species such as the iconic marsupial, the koala, the conservation impact is known with chlamydial infections associated with debilitating disease, however, in general, little is known about the pathogenic potential of Chlamydiae infecting most wildlife hosts. Accumulating evidence suggests contact with wild animals is a risk factor for infections in domestic animals and/or humans. Beyond the well-recognised zoonotic pathogen, Chlamydia psittaci, a range of studies have now reported traditional pathogens in the family Chlamydiaceae such as Chlamydia pecorum, Chlamydia suis, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia abortus in wild animals. The spectre of cross-host transmission 'spill-over' and 'spill-back' in the epidemiology of infections is of potential concern, however, comprehensive epidemiological studies are lacking for most of these. Accurate evaluation of the significance of chlamydial infections in wildlife is otherwise hampered by i) the cross-sectional nature of most impact studies, ii) a lack of standardised diagnostic approaches, iii) limited study sizes, and iv) biases associated with opportunistic sampling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delaney Burnard
- Centre for Animal Health Innovation, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland 4556, Australia
| | - Adam Polkinghorne
- Centre for Animal Health Innovation, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland 4556, Australia.
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Bossart GD, Schaefer AM, McCulloch S, Goldstein J, Fair PA, Reif JS. Mucocutaneous lesions in free-ranging Atlantic bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the southeastern USA. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2015; 115:175-184. [PMID: 26290502 DOI: 10.3354/dao02895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Mucocutaneous lesions were biopsied from free-ranging Atlantic bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida, and estuarine waters of Charleston (CHS), South Carolina, USA, between 2003 and 2013. A total of 78 incisional biopsies from 58 dolphins (n=43 IRL, n=15 CHS) were examined. Thirteen dolphins had 2 lesions biopsied at the same examination, and 6 dolphins were re-examined and re-biopsied at time intervals varying from 1 to 8 yr. Biopsy sites included the skin (n=47), tongue (n=2), and genital mucosa (n=29). Pathologic diagnoses were: orogenital sessile papilloma (39.7%), cutaneous lobomycosis (16.7%), tattoo skin disease (TSD; 15.4%), nonspecific chronic to chronic-active dermatitis (15.4%), and epidermal hyperplasia (12.8%). Pathologic diagnoses from dolphins with 2 lesions were predominately orogenital sessile papillomas (n=9) with nonspecific chronic to chronic-active dermatitis (n=4), TSD (n=3), lobomycosis (n=1), and epidermal hyperplasia (n=1). Persistent pathologic diagnoses from the same dolphins re-examined and re-biopsied at different times included genital sessile papillomas (n=3), lobomycosis (n=2), and nonspecific dermatitis (n=2). This is the first study documenting the various types, combined prevalence, and progression of mucocutaneous lesions in dolphins from the southeastern USA. The data support other published findings describing the health patterns in dolphins from these geographic regions. Potential health impacts related to the observed suite of lesions are important for the IRL and CHS dolphin populations, since previous studies have indicated that both populations are affected by complex infectious diseases often associated with immunologic disturbances and anthropogenic contaminants.
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