Clinicoimmunopathologic findings in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus with positive cetacean morbillivirus antibody titers

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

Patricia A. Fair¹  Charles D. Rice¹  Adam Schaefer¹  John S. Reif¹  Gregory D. Bossart¹  Margie M. Peden-Adams¹  Tracy A. Romano¹  Jeremiah T. Saliki¹  Juli D. Goldstein¹  Stephen McCulloch¹ 

关键词: Bottlenose dolphin;    Viral disease;    Cetacean morbillivirus;    Seroepidemiology;    Clinical pathology;    Immunology;   

DOI  :  10.3354/dao02410

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: Sera from free-ranging Atlantic bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida were tested for antibodies to cetacean morbilliviruses from 2003 to 2007 as part of a multidisciplinary study of individual and population health. A suite of clinico­immunopathologic variables were evaluated in morbillivirus-seropositive dolphins (n = 14) and seronegative healthy dolphins (n = 49). Several important differences were found. Serum alkaline phosphatase, creatine phosphokinase, chloride, albumin and albumin/globulin ratios were significantly lower in seropositive dolphins. Innate immunity appeared to be upregulated with significant increases in lysozyme concentration and marginally significant increases in monocytic phagocytosis. Adaptive immunity was also impacted in dolphins with positive morbillivirus antibody titers. Mitogen-induced T lymphocyte proliferation responses were significantly reduced in dolphins with positive morbillivirus antibody titers, and marginally significant decreases were found for absolute numbers of CD4+ lymphocytes. The findings suggest impairment of cell-mediated adaptive immunity, similar to the immunologic pattern reported with acute morbillivirus infection in other species. In contrast, dolphins with positive morbillivirus antibody titers appeared to have at least a partially upregulated humoral immune response with significantly higher levels of gamma globulins than healthy dolphins, which may represent an antibody response to morbillivirus infection or other pathogens. These data suggest that subclinical dolphin morbillivirus infection in IRL dolphins may produce clinicoimmunopathologic perturbations that impact overall health.

【 授权许可】

Unknown