Did algal toxin and Klebsiella infections cause the unexplained 2007 mass mortality event in Danish and Swedish marine mammals?
An unusual mass mortality event (MME) of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) occurred in Denmark and Sweden in June 2007. Prior to this incident, the region had experienced two MMEs in harbour seals caused by Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV) in 1988 and 2002. Althou...
Published in: | Science of The Total Environment |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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2024
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Online Access: | https://curis.ku.dk/portal/da/publications/did-algal-toxin-and-klebsiella-infections-cause-the-unexplained-2007-mass-mortality-event-in-danish-and-swedish-marine-mammals(d954688f-34c1-4e50-ba50-4c6f2281bfea).html https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169817 |
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ftcopenhagenunip:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/d954688f-34c1-4e50-ba50-4c6f2281bfea 2024-05-19T07:47:20+00:00 Did algal toxin and Klebsiella infections cause the unexplained 2007 mass mortality event in Danish and Swedish marine mammals? Mollerup, Ida-Marie Bjørneset, Juni Krock, Bernd Jensen, Trine Hammer Galatius, Anders Dietz, Rune Teilmann, Jonas van den Brand, Judith M. A. Osterhaus, Albert Kokotovic, Branko Lundholm, Nina Olsen, Morten Tange 2024 https://curis.ku.dk/portal/da/publications/did-algal-toxin-and-klebsiella-infections-cause-the-unexplained-2007-mass-mortality-event-in-danish-and-swedish-marine-mammals(d954688f-34c1-4e50-ba50-4c6f2281bfea).html https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169817 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess Mollerup , I-M , Bjørneset , J , Krock , B , Jensen , T H , Galatius , A , Dietz , R , Teilmann , J , van den Brand , J M A , Osterhaus , A , Kokotovic , B , Lundholm , N & Olsen , M T 2024 , ' Did algal toxin and Klebsiella infections cause the unexplained 2007 mass mortality event in Danish and Swedish marine mammals? ' , Science of the Total Environment , vol. 914 , 169817 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169817 Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) Harbour seals Harmful algal blooms (HABs) Klebsiella pneumonia Pathogen Phycotoxins article 2024 ftcopenhagenunip https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169817 2024-05-02T00:33:24Z An unusual mass mortality event (MME) of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) occurred in Denmark and Sweden in June 2007. Prior to this incident, the region had experienced two MMEs in harbour seals caused by Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV) in 1988 and 2002. Although epidemiology and symptoms of the 2007 MME resembled PDV, none of the animals examined for PDV tested positive. Thus, it has been speculated that another – yet unknown – pathogen caused the June 2007 MME. To shed new light on the likely cause of death, we combine previously unpublished veterinary examinations of harbour seals with novel analyses of algal toxins and algal monitoring data. All harbour seals subject to pathological examination showed pneumonia, but were negative for PDV, influenza and coronavirus. Histological analyses revealed septicaemia in multiple animals, and six animals tested positive for Klebsiella pneumonia. Furthermore, we detected the algal Dinophysis toxin DTX-1b (1–115 ng g −1 ) in five seals subject to toxicology, representing the first time DTX-1b has been detected in marine vertebrates. However, no animals tested positive for both Klebsiella and toxins. Thus, while our relatively small sample size prevent firm conclusions on causative agents, we speculate that the unexplained MME may have been caused by a chance incidence of multiple pathogens acting in parallel in June 2007, including Dinophysis toxin and Klebsiella. Our study illustrates the complexity of wildlife MMEs and highlights the need for thorough sampling during and after MMEs, as well as additional research on and monitoring of DTX-1b and other algal toxins in the region. Article in Journal/Newspaper Phoca vitulina Phocoena phocoena University of Copenhagen: Research Science of The Total Environment 914 169817 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Copenhagen: Research |
op_collection_id |
ftcopenhagenunip |
language |
English |
topic |
Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) Harbour seals Harmful algal blooms (HABs) Klebsiella pneumonia Pathogen Phycotoxins |
spellingShingle |
Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) Harbour seals Harmful algal blooms (HABs) Klebsiella pneumonia Pathogen Phycotoxins Mollerup, Ida-Marie Bjørneset, Juni Krock, Bernd Jensen, Trine Hammer Galatius, Anders Dietz, Rune Teilmann, Jonas van den Brand, Judith M. A. Osterhaus, Albert Kokotovic, Branko Lundholm, Nina Olsen, Morten Tange Did algal toxin and Klebsiella infections cause the unexplained 2007 mass mortality event in Danish and Swedish marine mammals? |
topic_facet |
Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) Harbour seals Harmful algal blooms (HABs) Klebsiella pneumonia Pathogen Phycotoxins |
description |
An unusual mass mortality event (MME) of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) and harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) occurred in Denmark and Sweden in June 2007. Prior to this incident, the region had experienced two MMEs in harbour seals caused by Phocine Distemper Virus (PDV) in 1988 and 2002. Although epidemiology and symptoms of the 2007 MME resembled PDV, none of the animals examined for PDV tested positive. Thus, it has been speculated that another – yet unknown – pathogen caused the June 2007 MME. To shed new light on the likely cause of death, we combine previously unpublished veterinary examinations of harbour seals with novel analyses of algal toxins and algal monitoring data. All harbour seals subject to pathological examination showed pneumonia, but were negative for PDV, influenza and coronavirus. Histological analyses revealed septicaemia in multiple animals, and six animals tested positive for Klebsiella pneumonia. Furthermore, we detected the algal Dinophysis toxin DTX-1b (1–115 ng g −1 ) in five seals subject to toxicology, representing the first time DTX-1b has been detected in marine vertebrates. However, no animals tested positive for both Klebsiella and toxins. Thus, while our relatively small sample size prevent firm conclusions on causative agents, we speculate that the unexplained MME may have been caused by a chance incidence of multiple pathogens acting in parallel in June 2007, including Dinophysis toxin and Klebsiella. Our study illustrates the complexity of wildlife MMEs and highlights the need for thorough sampling during and after MMEs, as well as additional research on and monitoring of DTX-1b and other algal toxins in the region. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Mollerup, Ida-Marie Bjørneset, Juni Krock, Bernd Jensen, Trine Hammer Galatius, Anders Dietz, Rune Teilmann, Jonas van den Brand, Judith M. A. Osterhaus, Albert Kokotovic, Branko Lundholm, Nina Olsen, Morten Tange |
author_facet |
Mollerup, Ida-Marie Bjørneset, Juni Krock, Bernd Jensen, Trine Hammer Galatius, Anders Dietz, Rune Teilmann, Jonas van den Brand, Judith M. A. Osterhaus, Albert Kokotovic, Branko Lundholm, Nina Olsen, Morten Tange |
author_sort |
Mollerup, Ida-Marie |
title |
Did algal toxin and Klebsiella infections cause the unexplained 2007 mass mortality event in Danish and Swedish marine mammals? |
title_short |
Did algal toxin and Klebsiella infections cause the unexplained 2007 mass mortality event in Danish and Swedish marine mammals? |
title_full |
Did algal toxin and Klebsiella infections cause the unexplained 2007 mass mortality event in Danish and Swedish marine mammals? |
title_fullStr |
Did algal toxin and Klebsiella infections cause the unexplained 2007 mass mortality event in Danish and Swedish marine mammals? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Did algal toxin and Klebsiella infections cause the unexplained 2007 mass mortality event in Danish and Swedish marine mammals? |
title_sort |
did algal toxin and klebsiella infections cause the unexplained 2007 mass mortality event in danish and swedish marine mammals? |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://curis.ku.dk/portal/da/publications/did-algal-toxin-and-klebsiella-infections-cause-the-unexplained-2007-mass-mortality-event-in-danish-and-swedish-marine-mammals(d954688f-34c1-4e50-ba50-4c6f2281bfea).html https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169817 |
genre |
Phoca vitulina Phocoena phocoena |
genre_facet |
Phoca vitulina Phocoena phocoena |
op_source |
Mollerup , I-M , Bjørneset , J , Krock , B , Jensen , T H , Galatius , A , Dietz , R , Teilmann , J , van den Brand , J M A , Osterhaus , A , Kokotovic , B , Lundholm , N & Olsen , M T 2024 , ' Did algal toxin and Klebsiella infections cause the unexplained 2007 mass mortality event in Danish and Swedish marine mammals? ' , Science of the Total Environment , vol. 914 , 169817 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169817 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169817 |
container_title |
Science of The Total Environment |
container_volume |
914 |
container_start_page |
169817 |
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1799487742386634752 |