Pilot Study: Decoding the Skin microbiome of Bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) and Killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Nunavut, Canada.

Given the increasing challenges that Arctic cetaceans face, it is critical to investigate novel methods for assessing their health. Skin microbiomes have emerged as a promising method of detecting health issues, which can help guide conservation efforts for free-ranging cetaceans. This study charact...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Arctic Science
Main Authors: Domínguez-Sánchez, Carlos A., Ferguson, Steven H., Edkins, Tera, Young, Brent G., Kringorn, Joshua
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2023
Subjects:
General Earth and Planetary Sciences
General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
General Environmental Science
Arctic
Nunavut
Canada
Balaena mysticetus
Killer Whale
Orca
Orcinus orca
Killer whale
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/as-2023-0028
https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/AS-2023-0028
Description
Summary:Given the increasing challenges that Arctic cetaceans face, it is critical to investigate novel methods for assessing their health. Skin microbiomes have emerged as a promising method of detecting health issues, which can help guide conservation efforts for free-ranging cetaceans. This study characterized the skin microbiome of 17 bowhead (BW) and two killer whales (KW). Fifty-six amplicon sequence variants were identified exclusively from cetacean samples, 20 belonged to BW, 13 to KW, and 23 to BW and KW. We identified bacteria from the genera Tenacibaculum and Psychrobacter, which have been previously described as bacteria that play a role in the health of cetaceans. In addition, in the healthy bowhead whales (H-BW) samples we identified Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and 7, Carnobacterium spp., and Yersinia spp. which are of concern because these bacteria are opportunistic pathogens. Stranded BW had a less diverse microbiome than H-BW and had pathogens, including Aeromonas species and Streptococcus agalactia. Opportunistic pathogens of the genera Moritella (previously Vibrio spp.), Shewanella, Psychrilyobacter, and Legionella were discovered in KW. Due to their predator-prey relationships, the findings of this pilot study support the importance of keeping a close eye on the bowhead and killer whale populations in the Arctic.

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