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Vargas-Castro I, Peletto S, Mattioda V, Goria M, Serracca L, Varello K, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM, Puleio R, Nocera FD, Lucifora G, Acutis P, Casalone C, Grattarola C, Giorda F. Epidemiological and genetic analysis of Cetacean Morbillivirus circulating on the Italian coast between 2018 and 2021. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1216838. [PMID: 37583469 PMCID: PMC10424449 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1216838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) has caused several outbreaks, unusual mortality events, and interepidemic single-lethal disease episodes in the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2012, a new strain with a northeast (NE) Atlantic origin has been circulating among Mediterranean cetaceans, causing numerous deaths. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of CeMV in cetaceans stranded in Italy between 2018 and 2021 and characterize the strain of CeMV circulating. Out of the 354 stranded cetaceans along the Italian coastlines, 113 were CeMV-positive. This prevalence (31.9%) is one of the highest reported without an associated outbreak. All marine sectors along the Italian coastlines, except for the northern Adriatic coast, reported a positive molecular diagnosis of CeMV. In one-third of the CeMV-positive cetaceans submitted to a histological evaluation, a chronic form of the infection (detectable viral antigen, the absence of associated lesions, and concomitant coinfections) was suspected. Tissues from 24 animals were used to characterize the strain, obtaining 57 sequences from phosphoprotein, nucleocapsid, and fusion protein genes, which were submitted to GenBank. Our sequences showed the highest identity with NE-Atlantic strain sequences, and in the phylogenetic study, they clustered together with them. Regarding age and species, most of these individuals were adults (17/24, 70.83%) and striped dolphins (19/24, 79.16%). This study improves our understanding on the NE-Atlantic CeMV strain in the Italian waters, supporting the hypothesis of an endemic circulation of the virus in this area; however, additional studies are necessary to deeply comprehend the epidemiology of this strain in the Mediterranean Sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Vargas-Castro
- VISAVET Center and Animal Health Department, Veterinary School, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Simone Peletto
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta - WOAH Collaborating Centre for the Health of Marine Mammals, Turin, Italy
| | - Virginia Mattioda
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta - WOAH Collaborating Centre for the Health of Marine Mammals, Turin, Italy
| | - Maria Goria
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta - WOAH Collaborating Centre for the Health of Marine Mammals, Turin, Italy
| | - Laura Serracca
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta - WOAH Collaborating Centre for the Health of Marine Mammals, Turin, Italy
| | - Katia Varello
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta - WOAH Collaborating Centre for the Health of Marine Mammals, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Roberto Puleio
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Palermo, Italy
| | - Fabio Di Nocera
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Lucifora
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Naples, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Acutis
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta - WOAH Collaborating Centre for the Health of Marine Mammals, Turin, Italy
| | - Cristina Casalone
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta - WOAH Collaborating Centre for the Health of Marine Mammals, Turin, Italy
| | - Carla Grattarola
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta - WOAH Collaborating Centre for the Health of Marine Mammals, Turin, Italy
| | - Federica Giorda
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta - WOAH Collaborating Centre for the Health of Marine Mammals, Turin, Italy
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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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Febronio AM, Boos GS, Batista RL, Amorim DB, Guimarães JP, Bianchi MV, Mariani DB, Koproski L, Mari C, Parente J, Sonne L, Werneck MR, Marques SM, Driemeier D, Kolesnikovas CK, Groch KR, Sobotyk C, Verocai GG, Groch KR, Díaz-Delgado J. Crassicaudiasis in three geographically and chronologically distant Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) stranded off Brazil. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2021; 16:262-269. [PMID: 34824971 PMCID: PMC8605309 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 10/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
The Cuvier's beaked whale (CBW; Ziphius cavirostris) is a cosmopolitan marine mammal found in deep tropical and temperate waters of all oceans. CBW strandings have been recorded sporadically in Brazil; however, there is lack of information available regarding their causes of stranding and/or death. Herein, we report the epidemiologic, pathologic, morphologic parasitologic features and molecular identification of arterial and renal crassicaudiasis by Crassicauda sp. in three geographically and chronologically distant CBW stranded off Brazil. CBW-1 was an adult male stranded dead in Rio Grande do Sul State. CBW-2 was an adult female that stranded alive in Sergipe State and died shortly after. CBW-3 was and adult male that stranded dead in Santa Catarina State. The most relevant pathologic findings in these three CBW were severe, chronic proliferative mesenteric and caudal aortic endarteritis and chronic granulomatous and fibrosing interstitial nephritis with renicular atrophy and loss, and numerous intralesional Crassicauda sp. nematodes. Furthermore, CBW-1 had concomitant gram-negative bacterial pneumonia and pulmonary and hepatic thromboembolism. Morphologic analysis of renal adult nematodes identified Crassicauda sp. in the three CBW. Molecular analyses targeting the 18S and ITS-2 ribosomal loci of renal nematodes in CBW-2 and CBW-3 identified C. anthonyi. It is believed that severe arterial and renal crassicaudiasis likely resulted or contributed significantly to morbidity and death of these animals. These results expand the known geographical range of occurrence of crassicaudiasis in CBW. Specifically, the present study provides the first accounts of arterial and renal crassicaudiasis in CBW off the southern hemisphere, specifically in CBW off Brazil, and to the authors' knowledge, it is the first record of C. anthonyi in the southern Atlantic Ocean. First record of Crassicauda anthonyi in cetaceans off the southern Atlantic Ocean. Arterial and renal crassicaudiasis may be fatal in Ziphius cavirostris. ITS-2 gene sequence analysis enables Crassicauda species identification.
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Zinzula L, Mazzariol S, Di Guardo G. Molecular signatures in cetacean morbillivirus and host species proteomes: Unveiling the evolutionary dynamics of an enigmatic pathogen? Microbiol Immunol 2021; 66:52-58. [PMID: 34779039 DOI: 10.1111/1348-0421.12949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) infects marine mammals often causing a fatal respiratory and neurological disease. Recently, CeMV has expanded its geographic and host species range, with cases being reported worldwide among dolphins, whales, seals, and other aquatic mammalian species, and therefore has emerged as the most threatening nonanthropogenic factor affecting marine mammal's health and conservation. Extensive research efforts have aimed to understand CeMV epidemiology and ecology, however, the molecular mechanisms underlying its transmission and pathogenesis are still poorly understood. In particular, the field suffers from a knowledge gap on the structural and functional properties of CeMV proteins and their host interactors. Nevertheless, the body of scientific literature produced in recent years has inaugurated new investigational trends, driving future directions in CeMV molecular research. In this mini-review, the most recent literature has been summarized in the context of such research trends, and categorized into four priority research topics, such as (1) the interaction between CeMV glycoprotein and its host cell receptors across several species; (2) the CeMV molecular determinants responsible for different disease phenotype; (3) the host molecular determinants responsible for differential susceptibility to CeMV infection; (4) the CeMV molecular determinants responsible for difference virulence among circulating CeMV strains. Arguably, these are the most urgent topics that need to be investigated and that most promisingly will help to shed light on the details of CeMV evolutionary dynamics in the immediate future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Zinzula
- Department of Molecular Structural Biology, Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Legnaro (Padova), Italy
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Contribution to Herpesvirus Surveillance in Beaked Whales Stranded in the Canary Islands. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11071923. [PMID: 34203458 PMCID: PMC8300104 DOI: 10.3390/ani11071923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Herpesviruses (HVs) are a large family of DNA viruses infecting animals (including insects and mollusks) and humans. Cetaceans can be also infected by HVs presenting different range of lesions, from dermatitis to meningoencephalitis, or being asymptomatic. Several studies have addressed the question of HVs in cetaceans, although no previous systematic survey of HV in beaked whales (BWs) (Ziphiidae family) has been previously performed. The family Ziphiidae, which includes 22 species in 6 genera, is one of the most widespread families of cetaceans, with a strict oceanic habitat pattern. Beaked whales, Cuvier’s BW in particular, are one of the deepest diving whales and are of particular interest because of a notable relationship between military operations employing mid-frequency sonar and the mass stranding of BWs in different geographic areas, including the Canary Islands. In this study, we analyzed 55 BWs (294 samples) stranded in the Canary Islands from 1990 to 2017 by molecular methods (conventional nested polymerase chain reaction). Our results showed that 8 BWs were infected by HVs, although only three animals displayed lesions indicative of active viral replication. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that HV-BW sequences are species-specific, although more studies are needed to better address this question. Abstract Herpesviruses (HVs) (Alpha- and Gammaherpesvirinae subfamilies) have been detected in several species of cetaceans with different pathological implications. However, available information on their presence in beaked whales (BWs) is still scarce. In this study, a total of 55 BWs (35 Ziphius cavirostris and 20 animals belonging to the Mesoplodon genus) were analyzed. Samples (n = 294) were obtained from BWs stranded along the coasts of the Canary Islands (1990–2017). Molecular detection of HV was performed by means of a conventional nested PCR based on the DNA polymerase gene. Herpesvirus was detected in 14.45% (8/55) of the analyzed BWs, including 2 positive animals from a previous survey. A percentage positivity of 8.57% was found within the Cuvier’s BW group, while the percentage of positivity rose to 25% within the Mesoplodon genus group (three M. densirostris, one M. europaeus, and one M. bidens). All the obtained sequences from this study belonged to the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily, from which three are considered novel sequences, all of them within the Mesoplodon genus group. In addition, to our knowledge, this is the first description of HV infection in Gervais’ and Sowerby’s BWs. Three out of eight HV-positive BWs displayed histopathological lesions indicative of active viral replication.
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Otero-Sabio C, Centelleghe C, Corain L, Graïc JM, Cozzi B, Rivero M, Consoli F, Peruffo A. Microscopic anatomical, immunohistochemical, and morphometric characterization of the terminal airways of the lung in cetaceans. J Morphol 2020; 282:291-308. [PMID: 33338275 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The lungs of cetaceans undergo anatomical and physiological adaptations that facilitate extended breath-holding during dives. Here, we present new insights on the ontogeny of the microscopic anatomy of the terminal portion of the airways of the lungs in five cetacean species: the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus); the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), the Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris); the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus); and the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba). We (a) studied the histology of the terminal portion of the airways; (b) used immunohistochemistry (IHC) to characterize the muscle fibers with antibodies against smooth muscle (sm-) actin, sm-myosin, and desmin; (c) the innervation of myoelastic sphincters (MESs) with an antibody against neurofilament protein; and (d) defined the diameter of the terminal bronchioles, the diameter and length of the alveoli, the thickness of the septa, the major and minor axis, perimeter and section area of the cartilaginous rings by quantitative morphometric analyses in partially inflated lung tissue. As already reported in the literature, in bottlenose and striped dolphins, a system of MESs was observed in the terminal bronchioles. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the presence of smooth muscle in the terminal bronchioles, alveolar ducts, and alveolar septa in all the examined species. Some neurofilaments were observed close to the MESs in both bottlenose and striped dolphins. In fin, sperm, and Cuvier's beaked whales, we noted a layer of longitudinal smooth muscle going from the terminal bronchioles to the alveolar sacs. The morphometric analysis allowed to quantify the structural differences among cetacean species by ranking them into groups according to the adjusted mean values of the morphometric parameters measured. Our results contribute to the current understanding of the anatomy of the terminal airways of the cetacean lung and the role of the smooth muscle in the alveolar collapse reflex, crucial for prolonged breath-holding diving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Otero-Sabio
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Cinzia Centelleghe
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Livio Corain
- Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova, Vicenza, Padova, Italy
| | - Jean-Marie Graïc
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Bruno Cozzi
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Miguel Rivero
- Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain
| | - Francesco Consoli
- Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain
| | - Antonella Peruffo
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
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Di Guardo G, Criscitiello MF, Sierra E, Mazzariol S. Editorial: Comparative Immunology of Marine Mammals. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2300. [PMID: 31632396 PMCID: PMC6779798 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Frederick Criscitiello
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Eva Sierra
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Instituto Universitario de Sanidad Animal y Seguridad Alimentaria, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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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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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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Cetacean morbillivirus: A Land-to-Sea Journey and Back? Virol Sin 2019; 34:240-242. [PMID: 31093883 DOI: 10.1007/s12250-019-00128-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
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Pautasso A, Iulini B, Grattarola C, Giorda F, Goria M, Peletto S, Masoero L, Mignone W, Varello K, Petrella A, Carbone A, Pintore A, Denurra D, Scholl F, Cersini A, Puleio R, Purpari G, Lucifora G, Fusco G, Di Guardo G, Mazzariol S, Casalone C. Novel dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) outbreak among Mediterranean striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba in Italian waters. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2019; 132:215-220. [PMID: 31188137 DOI: 10.3354/dao03323] [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: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
An unusual mortality event (UME) of striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba occurred in the period July to December 2016 along the Italian Ionian coastline. We conducted a complete postmortem examination on 28 specimens and detected dolphin morbillivirus (DMV), by means of biomolecular analyses, in the target tissues of 17 animals. Unlike previous outbreaks occurring in the Mediterranean Sea in 2011 and 2013, we observed typical pathological changes suggestive of morbilliviral infection in an acute/subacute phase and immunohistochemical reactivity. The same findings were observed in 13 other specimens beached along the Italian coastline during 2016 with no temporal and geographical relationship with the ongoing epidemic outbreak. Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis showed that DMV sequences detected in Italy in 2016 clustered with those identified in Portugal and Galicia (Spain), representing a novel DMV strain of Atlantic origin which entered the Mediterranean Sea and affected a naïve striped dolphin population. DMV sequences detected in the previous Mediterranean outbreaks exhibited a marked genetic relatedness and diverged from those detected in cetaceans stranded along the Galician and Portuguese coasts since 2007.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Pautasso
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, 10154 Torino, Italy
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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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Di Guardo G, Centelleghe C, Mazzariol S. Cetacean Host-Pathogen Interaction(s): Critical Knowledge Gaps. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2815. [PMID: 30546370 PMCID: PMC6279917 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Cinzia Centelleghe
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
| | - Sandro Mazzariol
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padua, Padova, Italy
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14
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Rubio-Guerri C, Jiménez MÁ, Melero M, Díaz-Delgado J, Sierra E, Arbelo M, Bellière EN, Crespo-Picazo JL, García-Párraga D, Esperón F, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM. Genetic heterogeneity of dolphin morbilliviruses detected in the Spanish Mediterranean in inter-epizootic period. BMC Vet Res 2018; 14:248. [PMID: 30143035 PMCID: PMC6109331 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-018-1559-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] 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 three dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) epizootics of 1990–1992, 2006–2008 and 2011 that affected Mediterranean striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). Systemic infection caused by DMV in the Mediterranean has been reported only during these outbreaks. Results We report the infection of five striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded on the Spanish Mediterranean coast of Valencia after the last DMV outbreak that ended in 2011. Animal 1 stranded in late 2011 and Animal 2 in 2012. Systemic infection affecting all tissues was found based on histopathology and positive immunohistochemical and polymerase chain reaction positive results. Animal 3 stranded in 2014; molecular and immunohistochemical detection was positive only in the central nervous system. Animals 4 and 5 stranded in 2015, and DMV antigen was found in several tissues. Partial sequences of the DMV phosphoprotein (P), nucleoprotein (N), and hemagglutinin (H) genes were identical for Animals 2, 3, 4, and 5, and were remarkably different from those in Animal 1. The P sequence from Animal 1 was identical to that of the DMV strain that caused the epizootic of 2011 in the Spanish Mediterranean. The corresponding sequence from Animals 2–5 was identical to that from a striped dolphin stranded in 2011 on the Canary Islands and to six dolphins stranded in northeastern Atlantic of the Iberian Peninsula. Conclusions These results suggest the existence of an endemic infection cycle among striped dolphins in the Mediterranean that may lead to occasional systemic disease presentations outside epizootic periods. This cycle involves multiple pathogenic viral strains, one of which may have originated in the Atlantic Ocean.
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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. .,Fundación Oceanografic de la Comunitat Valenciana, C/. Eduardo Primo Yúfera (Científic) 1B, 46013, Valencia, Spain.
| | - M Ángeles Jiménez
- Medicine and Surgery Department (Anatomic Pathology), Veterinary School, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mar Melero
- VISAVET Center and Animal Health Department, Veterinary School, Complutense University of Madrid, Avda. Puerta del Hierro s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Josué Díaz-Delgado
- Unit of Histology and Veterinary Pathology, Institute for Animal Health, Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, s, /n 35416, Arucas (Las Palmas), Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Eva Sierra
- Unit of Histology and Veterinary Pathology, Institute for Animal Health, Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, s, /n 35416, Arucas (Las Palmas), Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Manuel Arbelo
- Unit of Histology and Veterinary Pathology, Institute for Animal Health, Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, s, /n 35416, Arucas (Las Palmas), Canary Islands, Spain
| | - Edwige N Bellière
- National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, Ctra. de Algete a El Casar s/n, 28130, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose L Crespo-Picazo
- Fundación Oceanografic de la Comunitat Valenciana, C/. Eduardo Primo Yúfera (Científic) 1B, 46013, Valencia, Spain
| | - Daniel García-Párraga
- Fundación Oceanografic de la Comunitat Valenciana, C/. Eduardo Primo Yúfera (Científic) 1B, 46013, Valencia, Spain.,Veterinary Services, Avanqua Oceanogràfic S.L., C/ Eduardo Primo Yúfera (Científic) 1B, 46013, Valencia, Spain
| | - Fernando Esperón
- National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, Ctra. de Algete a El Casar s/n, 28130, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose M Sánchez-Vizcaíno
- 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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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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Santoro M, Di Nocera F, Iaccarino D, Cipriani P, Guadano Procesi I, Maffucci F, Hochscheid S, Blanco C, Cerrone A, Galiero G, Nascetti G, Mattiucci S. Helminth parasites of the dwarf sperm whale Kogia sima (Cetacea: Kogiidae) from the Mediterranean Sea, with implications on host ecology. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2018; 129:175-182. [PMID: 30154277 DOI: 10.3354/dao03251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Limited data exist on the occurrence of the dwarf sperm whale Kogia sima in the Mediterranean Sea and its parasite fauna. Here, the occurrence of the anisakid species Anisakis physeteris and A. pegreffii in the stomach chambers of an adult female dwarf sperm whale, stranded in southern Italy, is reported. In addition, the occurrence of Phyllobothrium delphini larvae infecting the blubber of the caudal peduncle region was recorded. A. physeteris and A. pegreffii represent the 2 parasite species of the genus, mostly distributed in the Mediterranean Sea in fish and squids. The finding of A. pegreffii and A. physeteris in the dwarf sperm whale represents a new record in this host species for the Mediterranean Sea. The study of gastrointestinal content also revealed a massive presence of cephalopod beaks identified as belonging to pelagic squids including the umbrella squid Histioteuthis bonnellii, the reverse jewel squid H. reversa, the long-armed squid Chiroteuthis veranii, and the comb-finned squid Ctenopteryx sicula. The feeding habits of the dwarf sperm whale, as well as the occurrence of these squid residuals in the cetacean host, suggest that these squid species play a major role in maintaining the life cycle of anisakid parasite species and P. delphini.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Santoro
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Italy
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