Dolphin Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii coinfection in a Mediterranean fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)

BMC Veterinary Research

Cristina Casalone⁵  Giovanni Di Guardo³  Letizia Marsili¹  Mariella Goria⁵  Laura Serracca⁵  Walter Mignone⁵  Federica Marcer⁴  Sandro Mazzariol² 

[1] Department of Environmental Science, University of Siena "G. Sarfatti", via P.A. Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy;Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, AGRIPOLIS - Viale dell'Università, 16, 35020 Legnaro, (PD), Italy;Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Teramo, piazza Aldo Moro 45, 64100 Teramo, Italy;Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, (PD), Italy;Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, via Bologna 148, 10154 Torino, Italy

关键词: Mediterranean Sea;    DDT;    Fin whale;    Toxoplasma gondii;    Dolphin Morbillivirus;   

Others  :  1119867
DOI  :  10.1186/1746-6148-8-20

 received in 2011-09-26, accepted in 2012-03-07,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

Although Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii have emerged as important pathogens for several cetaceans populations over the last 20 years, they have never been identified together in a Mysticete. In particular, morbilliviral infection has been never described in the Mediterranean fin whale population.

Case presentation

On January 2011 an adult male of fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) stranded along the Tyrrhenian coastline of Italy. During necropsy, tissue samples from heart, skeletal muscle, mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney were collected and subsequently analyzed for Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii by microscopic and molecular methods. Following the detailed necropsy carried out on this whale, molecular analysis revealed, for the first time, the simultaneous presence of a Dolphin Morbillivirus (DMV) and T. gondii infection coexisting with each other, along with high organochlorine pollutant concentrations, with special reference to DDT.

Conclusion

This report, besides confirming the possibility for Mysticetes to be infected with DMV, highlights the risk of toxoplasmosis in sea water for mammals, already immunodepressed by concurrent factors as infections and environmental contaminants.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Mazzariol et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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