Unusual striped dolphin mass mortality episode related to cetacean morbillivirus in the Spanish Mediterranean sea

BMC Veterinary Research

Jose Manuel Sánchez-Vizcaíno⁴  Daniel García-Párraga³  Eva Sierra¹  Jose Luis Crespo³  Manuel Arbelo¹  Edwige Nina Bellière²  Fernando Esperón²  Mar Melero⁴  Consuelo Rubio-Guerri⁴ 

[1] Unit of Histology and Veterinary Pathology, Institute for Animal Health, Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Carretera de Trasmontaña s/n, Arucas (Las Palmas), Canary Islands 35413, Spain;Animal Health Research Centre, Ctra. de Algete a El Casar s/n, Madrid 28130, Spain;Veterinary Services, Oceanographic Aquarium of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, C/ Junta de murs i valls s/n, Valencia 46023, Spain;VISAVET Center and Animal Health Department, Veterinary School, Complutense University of Madrid, Av Puerta del Hierro s/n, Madrid 28040, Spain

关键词: Striped dolphin;    Mass mortality;    Mediterranean sea;    Dolphin morbillivirus;    Cetacean morbillivirus;   

Others  :  1119532
DOI  :  10.1186/1746-6148-9-106

 received in 2013-02-20, accepted in 2013-05-17,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

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.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Rubio-Guerri et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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