[MARMAM] New publication: Molecular detection of herpesvirus in a skin lesion of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) from the Western Mediterranean Sea
Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are pleased to share our most recent publication entitled: *Molecular detection of herpesvirus in a skin lesion of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) from the Western Mediterranean Sea*. You will find the open access publication at the *link*: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10344-024-01782-7 *Abstract*:Herpesvirus has the potential to infect a wide variety of animal species. In cetaceans, *Alp*ha- and/or *Gammaherpesvirinae* have been identified in eight families of odontocetes, and one family of mysticetes. In May 2022, an adult humpback whale (*Megaptera novaeangliae*) was found stranded in Valencia, Spain. The whale was emaciated, in poor body condition, with multiple lacerations on the dorsal fin and a high number of epibionts of the Cyamidae family, known as whale lice. The individual had been previously released from a ghost net entanglement 5 days before becoming stranded. In a closer examination, various skin lesions were observed, including chronic, proliferative, and erosive dermatitis and a large ulcer extending to the deep dermis. As part of the infectious disease surveillance programme, molecular testing was performed on skin samples for herpesvirus, cetacean morbillivirus, and poxvirus. A positive result for herpesvirus was obtained from one of the skin lesions. The sequence was found to belong to the *Alphaherpesvirinae *subfamily, and it was closely related to alphaherpesvirus sequences from a fin whale (*Balaenoptera physalus*) and a humpback whale. Cetacean morbillivirus and poxvirus testing was negative. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of herpesvirus in a humpback whale from the Mediterranean Sea. Reports on herpesvirus detection or infection in humpback whales (only species within the genus *Megaptera*) are scarce. In consequence, future virological assessments of humpback whales should include testing for herpesvirus. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any questions you may have. Kind regards, Ignacio Vargas-Castro *Ignacio Vargas Castro* DVM, PhD Student Viral Immunology and Preventive Medicine Unit (SUAT) VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre & Animal Health Department Universidad Complutense Madrid Av. Puerta de Hierro, s/n. 28040 Madrid. spainignav...@ucm.eswww.sanidadanimal.info <https://www.sanidadanimal.info/en/> This message is private and confidential and it is intended exclusively for the addressee. If you receive this message by mistake, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please inform the sender and delete the message and attachments from your system, as it is completely forbidden for you to use this information, according to the current legislation. No confidentiality nor any privilege regarding the information is waived or lost by any mistransmission or malfunction. The personal data herein will be collected in the file "Correoweb", under the ownership of the Vice-Rectorate for Information Technologies, in which those interested may exercise their right to access, rectify, erasure or right to object the contents (article 15-21 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, General Data Protection Regulation). Before printing this mail please consider whether it is really necessary: the environment is a concern for us all. ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
Re: [MARMAM] Brucella pinnipedialis in bottlenose dolphins: pathogenesis and transmission
Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are pleased to share our most recent publication titled: New insights into the pathogenesis and transmission of *Brucella pinnipedialis*: systemic infection in two bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops truncatus**)*. You will find the open access publication at the *link*: https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01997-23 *Abstract: *The emergence of *Brucella* infections in marine mammals is a growing concern. The present study reports two cases of systemic *Brucella pinnipedialis* infection detected in bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops truncatus*) pair stranded together in the Cantabrian coast of Spain. Both animals showed systemic lesions associated with the *Brucella* infection, more severe in the younger dolphin, considered the likely offspring of the other individual. Real-time PCR, bacterial culture, and whole-genome sequencing were used to detect and characterize the *Brucella* strains involved in both dolphins. The phylogenetic analysis performed on the *Brucella* genomes retrieved revealed that the species involved was *B. pinnipedialis* (ST25). Both animals resulted seropositive in a commercial multispecies blocking ELISA but tested negative in the standard Rose Bengal test. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a systemic infection resulting in various lesions associated with *Brucella pinnipedialis* (ST25) in two bottlenose dolphins. It is also the initial isolation of *Brucella* in the milk of a non-pregnant or non-aborting female cetacean likely stranded with its offspring. These findings provide new insights into the epidemiology and clinical impact of *B. pinnipedialis* infection in cetaceans and underscore the importance of continued diagnostic surveillance to gain better understanding of brucellosis effects and transmission in marine mammal populations. *Importance: **Brucella* spp. are zoonotic pathogens that can affect both terrestrial and marine mammals. *Brucella ceti* has been identified in various cetacean species, but only one sequence type (ST27) has been reported in humans. However, it is important to conduct surveillance studies to better understand the impact of marine *Brucella* species on marine mammals, a typically understudied host group. Here, we describe a systemic infection by two related strains of *Brucella pinnipedialis* (ST25) in a couple of live-stranded bottlenose dolphins, with more severe lesions in the younger animal. Furthermore, *B. pinnipedialis* was first detected in milk from a female cetacean that stranded with its offspring. Our study reveals novel insights into the epidemiology and pathological consequences of *B. pinnipedialis* infections in cetaceans, emphasizing the crucial importance of ongoing surveillance and accurate diagnosis to understand the impact of this pathogen on marine mammal populations. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any questions you may have. Kind regards, Ignacio Vargas-Castro *Ignacio Vargas Castro* DVM, PhD Student Viral Immunology and Preventive Medicine Unit (SUAT) VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre & Animal Health Department Universidad Complutense Madrid Av. Puerta de Hierro, s/n. 28040 Madrid. spainignav...@ucm.eswww.sanidadanimal.info <https://www.sanidadanimal.info/en/> This message is private and confidential and it is intended exclusively for the addressee. If you receive this message by mistake, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please inform the sender and delete the message and attachments from your system, as it is completely forbidden for you to use this information, according to the current legislation. No confidentiality nor any privilege regarding the information is waived or lost by any mistransmission or malfunction. The personal data herein will be collected in the file "Correoweb", under the ownership of the Vice-Rectorate for Information Technologies, in which those interested may exercise their right to access, rectify, erasure or right to object the contents (article 15-21 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, General Data Protection Regulation). Before printing this mail please consider whether it is really necessary: the environment is a concern for us all. El lun, 9 oct 2023 a las 8:40, Ignacio Vargas Castro () escribió: > Dear MARMAM community, > > My co-authors and I are pleased to share our most recent publication > titled: New insights into the pathogenesis and transmission of *Brucella > pinnipedialis*: systemic infection in two bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops > truncatus**)*. > > You will find the open access publication at the *link*: > https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01997-23 > > *Abstract: *The emergence of *Brucella* infections in marine mammals is a > growing concern. The present study reports two cases of systemic *Brucella > pinnipedialis* infection detected in bottlenose dolphins (*Tursiops > truncatus*) pair stranded together in the Can
[MARMAM] New publication: "First description of a lesion in the upper digestive mucosa associated with a novel gammaherpesvirus in a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded in the Western Med
Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are pleased to share our most recent publication titled "First description of a lesion in the upper digestive mucosa associated with a novel gammaherpesvirus in a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded in the Western Mediterranean Sea". You will find the open access publication at the *link*: https://bmcvetres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12917-023-03677-2 *Citation*: Vargas-Castro, I., Crespo-Picazo, J.L., Jiménez Martínez, M.Á. et al. First description of a lesion in the upper digestive mucosa associated with a novel gammaherpesvirus in a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded in the Western Mediterranean Sea. BMC Vet Res 19, 118 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-023-03677-2 *Abstract*: *Background*: A wide variety of lesions have been associated with herpesvirus in cetaceans. However, descriptions of herpesvirus infections in the digestive system of cetaceans are scarce. *Case report*: A young female striped dolphin stranded in the Valencian Community (Spain) on the 6th August 2021. The animal showed external macroscopic lesions suggestive of an aggressive interaction with bottlenose dolphins (rake marks in the epidermis). Internally, the main findings included congestion of the central nervous system and multiple, well-defined, whitish, irregularly shaped, proliferative lesions on the oropharyngeal and laryngopharyngeal mucosa. Histopathology revealed lymphoplasmacytic and histiocytic meningoencephalitis, consistent with neuro brucellosis. The oropharyngeal and laryngopharyngeal plaques were comprised histologically of focally extensive epithelial hyperplasia. As part of the health surveillance program tissue samples were tested for cetacean morbillivirus using a real-time reverse transcription-PCR, for Brucella spp. using a real-time PCR, and for herpesvirus using a conventional nested PCR. All samples were negative for cetacean morbillivirus; molecular positivity for Brucella spp. was obtained in pharyngeal tonsils and cerebrospinal fluid; herpesvirus was detected in a proliferative lesion in the upper digestive mucosa. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the herpesvirus sequence was included in the Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily. This novel sequence showed the greatest identity with other Herpesvirus sequences detected in skin, pharyngeal and genital lesions in five different species. *Conclusions*: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of a proliferative lesion in the upper digestive mucosa associated with gammaherpesvirus posititvity in a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba). Please do not hesitate to contact us for any questions you may have. Kind regards, Ignacio Vargas-Castro *Ignacio Vargas Castro* DVM, PhD Student Viral Immunology and Preventive Medicine Unit (SUAT) VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre & Animal Health Department Universidad Complutense Madrid Av. Puerta de Hierro, s/n. 28040 Madrid. spainignav...@ucm.eswww.sanidadanimal.info <https://www.sanidadanimal.info/en/> This message is private and confidential and it is intended exclusively for the addressee. If you receive this message by mistake, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please inform the sender and delete the message and attachments from your system, as it is completely forbidden for you to use this information, according to the current legislation. No confidentiality nor any privilege regarding the information is waived or lost by any mistransmission or malfunction. The personal data herein will be collected in the file "Correoweb", under the ownership of the Vice-Rectorate for Information Technologies, in which those interested may exercise their right to access, rectify, erasure or right to object the contents (article 15-21 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, General Data Protection Regulation). Before printing this mail please consider whether it is really necessary: the environment is a concern for us all. ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] New publication: "Epidemiological and genetic analysis of Cetacean Morbillivirus circulating in the Italian coast between 2018 and 2021"
Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are pleased to share our most recent publication titled "Epidemiological and genetic analysis of Cetacean Morbillivirus circulating in the Italian coast between 2018 and 2021". You will find the open access publication at the *link*: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1216838/full *Citation*: 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 and Giorda F (2023) Epidemiological and genetic analysis of Cetacean Morbillivirus circulating on the Italian coast between 2018 and 2021. Front. Vet. Sci. 10:1216838. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1216838 *Abstract*: Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) has caused several outbreaks, unusual mortality events, and interepidemic single-lethal disease episodes in theMediterranean 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. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any questions you may have. Kind regards, Ignacio Vargas-Castro *Ignacio Vargas Castro* DVM, PhD Student Viral Immunology and Preventive Medicine Unit (SUAT) VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre & Animal Health Department Universidad Complutense Madrid Av. Puerta de Hierro, s/n. 28040 Madrid. spainignav...@ucm.eswww.sanidadanimal.info <https://www.sanidadanimal.info/en/> This message is private and confidential and it is intended exclusively for the addressee. If you receive this message by mistake, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please inform the sender and delete the message and attachments from your system, as it is completely forbidden for you to use this information, according to the current legislation. No confidentiality nor any privilege regarding the information is waived or lost by any mistransmission or malfunction. The personal data herein will be collected in the file "Correoweb", under the ownership of the Vice-Rectorate for Information Technologies, in which those interested may exercise their right to access, rectify, erasure or right to object the contents (article 15-21 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, General Data Protection Regulation). Before printing this mail please consider whether it is really necessary: the environment is a concern for us all. ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] New publication: systematic determination of Herpesvirus
Dear MARMAM community, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce a new publication that arises from our research on cetacean herpesvirus in cetaceans stranded on the Spanish Mediterranean coast between 2010 and 2013. Vargas‐Castro, I.; Melero, M.; Crespo‐Picazo, J.L.; Jiménez, M.A.; Sierra, E.; Rubio‐Guerri, C.; Arbelo, M.; Fernández, A.; García‐Párraga, D.; Sánchez‐Vizcaíno, J.M. *Systematic Determination of Herpesvirus in Free‐Ranging Cetaceans Stranded in the Western Mediterranean: Tissue Tropism and Associated Lesions.* Viruses 2021, 13, 2180. https://doi.org/10.3390/ v13112180 *Abstract*: *The monitoring of herpesvirus infection provides useful information when assessing marine mammals’ health. This paper shows the prevalence of herpesvirus infection (80.85%) in 47 ce-taceans stranded on the coast of the Valencian Community, Spain. Of the 966 tissues evaluated, 121 tested positive when employing nested-PCR (12.53%). The largest proportion of herpesvi-rus-positive tissue samples was in the reproductive system, nervous system and tegument. Herpesvirus was more prevalent in females, juveniles and calves. More than half the DNA PCR positive tissues contained herpesvirus RNA, indicating the presence of actively replicating virus. This RNA was most frequently found in neonates. Fourteen unique sequences were identi-fied. Most amplified sequences belonged to the Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily, but a greater variation was found in Alphaherpesvirinae sequences. This is the first report of systematic herpesvirus DNA and RNA determination in free-ranging cetaceans. Nine (19.14%) were in-fected with cetacean morbillivirus and all of them (100%) were coinfected with herpesvirus. Lesions similar to those caused by herpesvirus in other species were observed, mainly in the skin, upper digestive tract, genitalia and central nervous system. Other lesions were also at-tributable to concomitant etiologies or were nonspecific. It is necessary to investigate the pos-sible role of herpesvirus infection in those cases.* The article is free for download at the link: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/13/11/2180 or could request in researchgate or to me at: ignav...@ucm.es Sincerely, *Ignacio Vargas Castro* DVM, PhD Student Viral Immunology and Preventive Medicine Unit (SUAT) VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre & Animal Health Department Universidad Complutense Madrid Av. Puerta de Hierro, s/n. 28040 Madrid. spainignav...@ucm.eswww.sanidadanimal.info <https://www.sanidadanimal.info/en/> This message is private and confidential and it is intended exclusively for the addressee. If you receive this message by mistake, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please inform the sender and delete the message and attachments from your system, as it is completely forbidden for you to use this information, according to the current legislation. No confidentiality nor any privilege regarding the information is waived or lost by any mistransmission or malfunction. The personal data herein will be collected in the file "Correoweb", under the ownership of the Vice-Rectorate for Information Technologies, in which those interested may exercise their right to access, rectify, erasure or right to object the contents (article 15-21 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, General Data Protection Regulation). Before printing this mail please consider whether it is really necessary: the environment is a concern for us all. ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] New publication: Alpha- and gammaherpesviruses in stranded striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Spain: first molecular detection of gammaherpesvirus infection in central nervous syst
Dear MARMAM community, We are please to announce the following paper about cetacean herpesvirus recently published in BMC Veterinary Research: Ignacio Vargas-Castro, José Luis Crespo-Picazo, Belén Rivera-Arroyo, Rocío Sánchez, Vicente Marco-Cabedo, María Ángeles Jiménez-Martínez, Manena Fayos, Ángel Serdio, Daniel García-Párraga, José Manuel Sánchez-Vizcaíno. *Alpha- and gammaherpesviruses in stranded striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Spain: first molecular detection of gammaherpesvirus infection in central nervous system of odontocetes. *BMC Vet Res 16, 288 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-020-02511-3 Abstract: Background Herpesvirus infections in cetaceans have always been attributed to the Alphaherpesvirinae and Gammaherpesvirinae subfamilies. To date, gammaherpesviruses have not been reported in the central nervous system of odontocetes. Case presentation A mass stranding of 14 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) occurred in Cantabria (Spain) on 18th May 2019. Tissue samples were collected and tested for herpesvirus using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and for cetacean morbillivirus using reverse transcription-PCR. Cetacean morbillivirus was not detected in any of the animals, while gammaherpesvirus was detected in nine male and one female dolphins. Three of these males were coinfected by alphaherpesviruses. Alphaherpesvirus sequences were detected in the cerebrum, spinal cord and tracheobronchial lymph node, while gammaherpesvirus sequences were detected in the cerebrum, cerebellum, spinal cord, pharyngeal tonsils, mesenteric lymph node, tracheobronchial lymph node, lung, skin and penile mucosa. Macroscopic and histopathological post-mortem examinations did not unveil the potential cause of the mass stranding event or any evidence of severe infectious disease in the dolphins. The only observed lesions that may be associated with herpesvirus were three cases of balanitis and one penile papilloma. Conclusions To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of gammaherpesvirus infection in the central nervous system of odontocete cetaceans. This raises new questions for future studies about how gammaherpesviruses reach the central nervous system and how infection manifests clinically. Kind regards, -- Ignacio Vargas Castro DMV, PhD student Animal Health Department and VISAVET Complutense University of Madrid ignav...@ucm.es ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
