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Mira F, Rubio-Guerri C, Purpari G, Puleio R, Caracappa G, Gucciardi F, Russotto L, Loria GR, Guercio A. Circulation of a novel strain of dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) in stranded cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9792. [PMID: 31278350 PMCID: PMC6611785 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46096-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) has been responsible for several outbreaks of systemic infection and has resulted in cetacean strandings in the Mediterranean. In August-October 2016, seven striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded on the Sicilian coastline (Italy) tested positive for DMV. Tissue samples from brain, lung, pulmonary lymph nodes, heart, spleen, liver, stomach, intestine, kidneys and urinary bladder, as well as blowhole swabs, were collected during necropsy for molecular diagnostics and pathology studies. Extracted tissue RNA was screened for DMV by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Some tissues exhibited microscopic lesions that were consistent with DMV infection on histopathological and immunohistochemical grounds. Conventional reverse transcription PCR to target partial nucleoprotein and phosphoprotein genes yielded sequences used to genetically characterize the associated DMV strain. DMV RNA was detected by both PCR assays in all tested tissues of the seven dolphins, which suggests systemic infections, but was absent from another dolphin stranded on the Sicilian coastline during the same period. The partial phosphoprotein and nucleoprotein gene sequences from the positive dolphins were 99.7% and 99.5% identical, respectively, to the DMV sequences recently observed in cetaceans stranded on the Spanish Mediterranean. Our study suggests that this DMV strain is circulating in the Mediterranean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Mira
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Palermo, 90129, Italy.
| | - Consuelo Rubio-Guerri
- Fundación Oceanografic de la Comunitat Valenciana, Valencia, 46013, Spain.,VISAVET-Animal Health Department, Veterinary School, Complutense University, Madrid, 28040, Spain
| | - Giuseppa Purpari
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Palermo, 90129, Italy
| | - Roberto Puleio
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Palermo, 90129, Italy
| | - Giulia Caracappa
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Palermo, 90129, Italy
| | - Francesca Gucciardi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Palermo, 90129, Italy
| | - Laura Russotto
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Palermo, 90129, Italy
| | - Guido Ruggero Loria
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Palermo, 90129, Italy
| | - Annalisa Guercio
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Palermo, 90129, Italy
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Manlik O, Krützen M, Kopps AM, Mann J, Bejder L, Allen SJ, Frère C, Connor RC, Sherwin WB. Is MHC diversity a better marker for conservation than neutral genetic diversity? A case study of two contrasting dolphin populations. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:6986-6998. [PMID: 31380027 PMCID: PMC6662329 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic diversity is essential for populations to adapt to changing environments. Measures of genetic diversity are often based on selectively neutral markers, such as microsatellites. Genetic diversity to guide conservation management, however, is better reflected by adaptive markers, including genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Our aim was to assess MHC and neutral genetic diversity in two contrasting bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) populations in Western Australia-one apparently viable population with high reproductive output (Shark Bay) and one with lower reproductive output that was forecast to decline (Bunbury). We assessed genetic variation in the two populations by sequencing the MHC class II DQB, which encompasses the functionally important peptide binding regions (PBR). Neutral genetic diversity was assessed by genotyping twenty-three microsatellite loci. We confirmed that MHC is an adaptive marker in both populations. Overall, the Shark Bay population exhibited greater MHC diversity than the Bunbury population-for example, it displayed greater MHC nucleotide diversity. In contrast, the difference in microsatellite diversity between the two populations was comparatively low. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that viable populations typically display greater genetic diversity than less viable populations. The results also suggest that MHC variation is more closely associated with population viability than neutral genetic variation. Although the inferences from our findings are limited, because we only compared two populations, our results add to a growing number of studies that highlight the usefulness of MHC as a potentially suitable genetic marker for animal conservation. The Shark Bay population, which carries greater adaptive genetic diversity than the Bunbury population, is thus likely more robust to natural or human-induced changes to the coastal ecosystem it inhabits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Manlik
- Biology Department, College of ScienceUnited Arab Emirates UniversityAl AinUnited Arab Emirates
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Michael Krützen
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Anna M. Kopps
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Janet Mann
- Department of Biology and Department of PsychologyGeorgetown UniversityWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
| | - Lars Bejder
- Marine Mammal Research Program, Hawai'i Institute of Marine BiologyUniversity of Hawai'i at ManoaKaneoheHonolulu
- Aquatic Megafauna Research Unit, School of Veterinary and Life SciencesMurdoch UniversityMurdochWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Simon J. Allen
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUnited Kingdom
| | - Celine Frère
- Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringUniversity of the Sunshine CoastSippy DownsQueenslandAustralia
| | | | - William B. Sherwin
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Aquatic Megafauna Research Unit, School of Veterinary and Life SciencesMurdoch UniversityMurdochWestern AustraliaAustralia
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Stejskalova K, Bayerova Z, Futas J, Hrazdilova K, Klumplerova M, Oppelt J, Splichalova P, Di Guardo G, Mazzariol S, Di Francesco CE, Di Francesco G, Terracciano G, Paiu RM, Ursache TD, Modry D, Horin P. Candidate gene molecular markers as tools for analyzing genetic susceptibility to morbillivirus infection in stranded Cetaceans. HLA 2017; 90:343-353. [DOI: 10.1111/tan.13146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2016] [Revised: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- K. Stejskalova
- Department of Animal Genetics; University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Brno Czech Republic
| | - Z. Bayerova
- Department of Animal Genetics; University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Brno Czech Republic
| | - J. Futas
- Department of Animal Genetics; University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Brno Czech Republic
- Ceitec VFU, RG Animal Immunogenomics; Brno Czech Republic
| | - K. Hrazdilova
- Ceitec VFU, RG Molecular Microbiology; Brno Czech Republic
| | - M. Klumplerova
- Department of Animal Genetics; University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Brno Czech Republic
| | - J. Oppelt
- Ceitec MU, Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, National Centre for Biomolecular Research; Masaryk University; Brno Czech Republic
| | - P. Splichalova
- Ceitec VFU, RG Animal Immunogenomics; Brno Czech Republic
| | - G. Di Guardo
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine; University of Teramo; Teramo Italy
| | - S. Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, Viale dell'Università; University of Padua; Padua Italy
| | | | - G. Di Francesco
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale”; Teramo Italy
| | - G. Terracciano
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana “M. Aleandri”; Pisa Italy
| | | | - T. D. Ursache
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca; Cluj-Napoca Romania
| | - D. Modry
- Ceitec VFU, RG Molecular Microbiology; Brno Czech Republic
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology; University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Brno Czech Republic
- Biology Center, Czech Academy of Sciences; České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - P. Horin
- Department of Animal Genetics; University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Brno Czech Republic
- Ceitec VFU, RG Animal Immunogenomics; Brno Czech Republic
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Detection of morbillivirus infection by RT-PCR RFLP analysis in cetaceans and carnivores. J Virol Methods 2017; 247:22-27. [PMID: 28528278 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2017.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Revised: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Morbillivirus genus comprises several members related to specific hosts, such as canine distemper virus (CDV) and cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) in which the dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) is included. Both CDV and DMV are able to cause serious outbreak associated with high morbidity and mortality representing an important conservation threat for terrestrial and aquatic mammalian species. This paper describes a new RT-PCR RFLP technique based on a RT-PCR with degenerate primers targeting a 287 bp fragment located on the conserved N terminus of the morbillivirus NP gene, followed by MseI RFLP, in order both to confirm the detection of the virus and to distinguish DMV from CDV. Both carnivores and cetaceans tissues (brain, lung and lymph node) presenting evidence of morbillivirus infection (MI) were analyzed. RT-PCR positive samples were typed by RFLP analysis and then sequenced to confirm the RFLP results. This method was applied during the last morbillivirus cetacean die-off occurred in the Mediterranean basin in 2013, when there was the urgent need of a rapid and economic method to investigate among causes of death on stranded cetaceans. This new technique has proved to be a valuable, reliable, simple and relatively inexpensive diagnostic tool easily applicable also in limited-resource laboratories.
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Assessing Disease and Mortality among Small Cetaceans Stranded at a World Heritage Site in Southern Brazil. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0149295. [PMID: 26871703 PMCID: PMC4752507 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cetaceans are considered environmental sentinels and their health often reflects either anthropogenic or natural spatio-temporal disturbances. This study investigated the pathological findings and mortality of small cetaceans with the aim of detecting hazards and monitoring health trends in a high-biodiversity area. Between 2007 and 2012, 218 stranded cetaceans were recorded on the Paraná coast, southern Brazil. Fifty-seven (26.1%) of these animals, including 50 Sotalia guianensis, 2 Pontoporia blainvillei, 2 Stenella frontalis, 1 Stenella longirostris, 1 Tursiops truncatus and 1 Globicephala melas were necropsied and samples were collected for histopathology. Causes of death were determined in 46 of the 57 (80.7%) animals and most (30 or 65.2%) were ascribed to anthropogenic activities, including fisheries bycatch (28/30) and trauma (2/30). The remaining 16 fatalities were considered natural, and attributed to pneumonia (10/16), emaciation (3/16), septicemia (1/16), neonatal pathology (1/16) and choking via food obstruction (1/16). Irrespective of the cause, bronchointerstitial pneumonia, associated with parasitism, lymphadenitis and membranous glomerulonephritis were common findings among all fatalities. These results suggest, that while anthropogenic activities are a leading cause of cetacean strandings in Paraná, underlying pre-existing diseases may contribute towards deaths. Although the studied area is considered a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, complex anthropogenic and natural interactions might be occurring, increasing cetacean susceptibility to hazards. This study may help facilitate developing an effective conservation plan for coastal cetaceans focusing on reducing fisheries interactions, habitat degradation and pollution as mechanisms for ultimately increasing species resilience.
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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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