The Emergence of Mucormycosis in Free-Ranging Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest
Primary fungal diseases in marine mammals are rare. Mucormycosis, a disease caused by fungi of the order Mucorales, has been documented in few cetaceans and pinnipeds. In 2012, the first case of mucormycosis in the Pacific Northwest was documented in a dead stranded harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoen...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:2e2093c87cd343aebfc391e4e20795cb 2023-05-15T16:33:06+02:00 The Emergence of Mucormycosis in Free-Ranging Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest Jessica L. Huggins Michael M. Garner Stephen A. Raverty Dyanna M. Lambourn Stephanie A. Norman Linda D. Rhodes Joseph K. Gaydos Jennifer K. Olson Martin Haulena M. Bradley Hanson 2020-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00555 https://doaj.org/article/2e2093c87cd343aebfc391e4e20795cb EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2020.00555/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-7745 2296-7745 doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00555 https://doaj.org/article/2e2093c87cd343aebfc391e4e20795cb Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol 7 (2020) mucormycosis harbor porpoise harbor seal killer whale fungus marine mammal Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00555 2022-12-31T08:23:35Z Primary fungal diseases in marine mammals are rare. Mucormycosis, a disease caused by fungi of the order Mucorales, has been documented in few cetaceans and pinnipeds. In 2012, the first case of mucormycosis in the Pacific Northwest was documented in a dead stranded harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in Washington state. Since then, mucormycosis has been detected in a total of 21 marine mammals; fifteen harbor porpoises, five harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), and one southern resident killer whale (Orcinus orca). Infected animals were predominately found in the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia, and one harbor seal was recovered in northern Oregon. Fungal hyphae were detected histologically in a variety of tissues, including brain, lung, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, muscle, lymph nodes, and skin. Three fungal species were identified from seven cases by PCR screening or fungal culture; Rhizomucor pusillus (four cases), Lichtheimia corymbifera (two cases), and Cunninghamella bertholletiae. Underlying conditions such as emaciation, current or recent pregnancy, multisystemic parasitism, protozoal infection, and herpesvirus were found in several affected animals. Reasons for the appearance and subsequent increase of these fungal infections in marine mammals are unknown. The emergence of this disease as a source of marine mammal mortality in the Pacific Northwest is of particular concern for endangered southern resident killer whales that spend time in this region. Current population-level stressors such as insufficient prey, high levels of contaminants, and noise pollution, could predispose them to these fatal infections. Article in Journal/Newspaper harbor seal Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Phoca vitulina Phocoena phocoena Killer whale Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Pacific Frontiers in Marine Science 7 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
mucormycosis harbor porpoise harbor seal killer whale fungus marine mammal Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
spellingShingle |
mucormycosis harbor porpoise harbor seal killer whale fungus marine mammal Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 Jessica L. Huggins Michael M. Garner Stephen A. Raverty Dyanna M. Lambourn Stephanie A. Norman Linda D. Rhodes Joseph K. Gaydos Jennifer K. Olson Martin Haulena M. Bradley Hanson The Emergence of Mucormycosis in Free-Ranging Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest |
topic_facet |
mucormycosis harbor porpoise harbor seal killer whale fungus marine mammal Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
description |
Primary fungal diseases in marine mammals are rare. Mucormycosis, a disease caused by fungi of the order Mucorales, has been documented in few cetaceans and pinnipeds. In 2012, the first case of mucormycosis in the Pacific Northwest was documented in a dead stranded harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in Washington state. Since then, mucormycosis has been detected in a total of 21 marine mammals; fifteen harbor porpoises, five harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), and one southern resident killer whale (Orcinus orca). Infected animals were predominately found in the inland waters of Washington and British Columbia, and one harbor seal was recovered in northern Oregon. Fungal hyphae were detected histologically in a variety of tissues, including brain, lung, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, muscle, lymph nodes, and skin. Three fungal species were identified from seven cases by PCR screening or fungal culture; Rhizomucor pusillus (four cases), Lichtheimia corymbifera (two cases), and Cunninghamella bertholletiae. Underlying conditions such as emaciation, current or recent pregnancy, multisystemic parasitism, protozoal infection, and herpesvirus were found in several affected animals. Reasons for the appearance and subsequent increase of these fungal infections in marine mammals are unknown. The emergence of this disease as a source of marine mammal mortality in the Pacific Northwest is of particular concern for endangered southern resident killer whales that spend time in this region. Current population-level stressors such as insufficient prey, high levels of contaminants, and noise pollution, could predispose them to these fatal infections. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Jessica L. Huggins Michael M. Garner Stephen A. Raverty Dyanna M. Lambourn Stephanie A. Norman Linda D. Rhodes Joseph K. Gaydos Jennifer K. Olson Martin Haulena M. Bradley Hanson |
author_facet |
Jessica L. Huggins Michael M. Garner Stephen A. Raverty Dyanna M. Lambourn Stephanie A. Norman Linda D. Rhodes Joseph K. Gaydos Jennifer K. Olson Martin Haulena M. Bradley Hanson |
author_sort |
Jessica L. Huggins |
title |
The Emergence of Mucormycosis in Free-Ranging Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest |
title_short |
The Emergence of Mucormycosis in Free-Ranging Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest |
title_full |
The Emergence of Mucormycosis in Free-Ranging Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest |
title_fullStr |
The Emergence of Mucormycosis in Free-Ranging Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Emergence of Mucormycosis in Free-Ranging Marine Mammals of the Pacific Northwest |
title_sort |
emergence of mucormycosis in free-ranging marine mammals of the pacific northwest |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00555 https://doaj.org/article/2e2093c87cd343aebfc391e4e20795cb |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
harbor seal Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Phoca vitulina Phocoena phocoena Killer whale |
genre_facet |
harbor seal Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Phoca vitulina Phocoena phocoena Killer whale |
op_source |
Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol 7 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2020.00555/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-7745 2296-7745 doi:10.3389/fmars.2020.00555 https://doaj.org/article/2e2093c87cd343aebfc391e4e20795cb |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00555 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Marine Science |
container_volume |
7 |
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1766022819341139968 |