DISPATCHES Brucella ceti Infection in Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena

• Main Authors: Thierry P. Jauniaux, Cecile Brenez, David Fretin, Jacques Godfroid, Jan Haelters, Thierry Jacques, Francis Kerckhof, Jan Mast, Michael Sarlet, Freddy L. Coignoul
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Balaenoptera acutorostrata; minke whale; Phocoena phocoena
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.306.7094; http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/16/12/pdfs/10-1008.pdf

We describe Brucella sp. infection and associated lesions in a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) found on the coast of Belgium. The infection was diagnosed by immunohistochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, and bacteriology, and the organism was identifi ed as B. ceti. The infection’s location in the porpoise raises questions of abortion and zoonotic risks. In cetaceans, Brucella spp. infections and related lesions have been found in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) (1), striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) (2–5), Atlantic white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus acutus) (6,7), common dolphins (Delphinus delphi) (6,8), harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) (6,9), and a minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) (6). Recently, B. ceti was described as being the cetacean Brucella sp. strain that infects dolphins (10). We report a case of B. ceti infection and associated lesions in a harbor porpoise found on the coast of Belgium in 2008. The Study An adult female harbor porpoise died on the coast of Belgium in 2008, and a necropsy was immediately performed by the Marine Animals Research and Intervention Network (Belgium). The most relevant findings (Table) were emaciation and multiple large skin ulcers (acute to chronic) around the genital split and between flippers (Figure 1). Internally, mild to severe nematode infestation (of the right ventricle, pulmonary blood vessels, airways) was associated with acute pulmonary thrombi and severe acute necrotizing pneumonia.