1
|
Martino L, Serrano B, Alomar J, Pérez L, Aragon V, Cobos A, Abarca ML, Yazdi Z, Soto E, Domingo M. Erysipelas with preferential brain and skin involvement in a Mediterranean bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2024; 157:31-43. [PMID: 38299848 DOI: 10.3354/dao03770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Infections by Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae occur in domestic animals and cause the disease known as 'erysipelas'. The ubiquity of Erysipelothrix spp. makes infection possible in a wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates. Cetaceans are highly susceptible to erysipelas, especially those under human care. The number of cases documented in wild cetaceans is low, the pathogenesis is incompletely understood, and the full spectrum of lesions is not well defined. The possible serotypes and species of the genus that can cause disease are unknown. In October 2022, a common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus stranded in Vilassar de Mar (Catalonia) showing skin lesions consistent with 'diamond skin disease', a characteristic lesion of erysipelas shared by swine and cetaceans. Necropsy was performed following standardized procedures, and multiple samples were taken for histopathology and bacteriology. Erysipelothrix sp. grew in pure culture in many tissue samples. Genetic characterization by multi-locus sequence analysis identified the species as E. rhusiopathiae. Histologically, the main lesions were an intense suppurative vasculitis of leptomeningeal arteries and veins with abundant intramural Gram-positive bacilli and meningeal hemorrhages. Meningeal lesions were considered the cause of death. The affected skin showed moderate suppurative dermatitis. Herein we document a case of erysipelas in a Mediterranean common bottlenose dolphin with unusual lesions in the leptomeningeal vessels and marked skin tropism. To our knowledge, this is the first case of severe brain involvement in erysipelas in a cetacean. We also provide a review of available cases in wild cetaceans, to highlight the characteristics of the disease and improve future diagnosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Martino
- Servei de Diagnòstic de Patologia Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Bárbara Serrano
- Servei de Diagnòstic de Patologia Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Jaume Alomar
- Servei de Diagnòstic de Patologia Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Lola Pérez
- Facultat de Veterinària de Barcelona, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Virginia Aragon
- Unitat Mixta d'Investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- IRTA Programa de Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Alex Cobos
- Unitat Mixta d'Investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- IRTA Programa de Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Maria Lourdes Abarca
- Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Veterinary Mycology Group, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Zeinab Yazdi
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Esteban Soto
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Mariano Domingo
- Servei de Diagnòstic de Patologia Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Unitat Mixta d'Investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- IRTA Programa de Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bloodgood JCG, Deming AC, Colegrove KM, Russell ML, Díaz Clark C, Carmichael RH. Causes of death and pathogen prevalence in bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus stranded in Alabama, USA, between 2015 and 2020, following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS 2023; 155:87-102. [PMID: 37650480 DOI: 10.3354/dao03746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Between 2010 and 2014, an unusual mortality event (UME) involving bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus occurred in the northern Gulf of Mexico, associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWHOS). Cause of death (COD) patterns in bottlenose dolphins since then have not been analyzed, and baseline prevalence data for Brucella ceti and cetacean morbillivirus, 2 pathogens previously reported in this region, are lacking. We analyzed records from bottlenose dolphins stranded in Alabama from 2015 to 2020 with necropsy and histological findings to determine COD (n = 108). This period included another UME in 2019 associated with prolonged freshwater exposure. A subset of individuals that stranded during this period were selected for molecular testing for Brucella spp. and Morbillivirus spp. Causes of death for all age classes were grouped into 6 categories, including (1) human interaction, (2) infectious disease, (3) noninfectious disease (prolonged freshwater exposure and degenerative), (4) trauma, (5) multifactorial, and (6) unknown. Two additional categories unique to perinates included fetal distress and in utero pneumonia. Human interaction was the most common primary COD (19.4%) followed closely by infectious disease (17.6%) and noninfectious disease (freshwater exposure; 13.9%). Brucella was detected in 18.4% of the 98 animals tested, but morbillivirus was not detected in any of the 66 animals tested. Brucella was detected in some moderately to severely decomposed carcasses, indicating that it may be beneficial to test a broad condition range of stranded animals. This study provides valuable information on COD in bottlenose dolphins in Alabama following the DWHOS and is the first to examine baseline prevalence of 2 common pathogens in stranded animals from this region.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J C G Bloodgood
- Dauphin Island Sea Lab, 101 Bienville Blvd., Dauphin Island, Alabama 36528, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|