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 that can help guide conservation efforts for free-ranging cetaceans. This study character...
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2024
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2023-0028 https://doaj.org/article/b6efd74ffc734eb4a5d5bda1a0d12516 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:b6efd74ffc734eb4a5d5bda1a0d12516 2024-09-15T17:50:25+00:00 Pilot study: decoding the skin microbiome of bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Nunavut, Canada Carlos A. Dominguez-Sanchez Steven H. Ferguson Tera Edkins Brent G. Young Joshua Kringorn 2024-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2023-0028 https://doaj.org/article/b6efd74ffc734eb4a5d5bda1a0d12516 EN FR eng fre Canadian Science Publishing https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2023-0028 https://doaj.org/toc/2368-7460 doi:10.1139/as-2023-0028 2368-7460 https://doaj.org/article/b6efd74ffc734eb4a5d5bda1a0d12516 Arctic Science, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 169-188 (2024) microbiome bowhead whale killer whale strandings health Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2023-0028 2024-08-05T17:49:49Z 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 that can help guide conservation efforts for free-ranging cetaceans. This study characterized the skin microbiome of 17 bowhead (BW) and 2 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 whale (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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Balaena mysticetus bowhead whale Killer Whale Nunavut Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Science |
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Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English French |
topic |
microbiome bowhead whale killer whale strandings health Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 |
spellingShingle |
microbiome bowhead whale killer whale strandings health Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 Carlos A. Dominguez-Sanchez Steven H. Ferguson Tera Edkins Brent G. Young Joshua Kringorn Pilot study: decoding the skin microbiome of bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Nunavut, Canada |
topic_facet |
microbiome bowhead whale killer whale strandings health Environmental sciences GE1-350 Environmental engineering TA170-171 |
description |
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 that can help guide conservation efforts for free-ranging cetaceans. This study characterized the skin microbiome of 17 bowhead (BW) and 2 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 whale (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. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Carlos A. Dominguez-Sanchez Steven H. Ferguson Tera Edkins Brent G. Young Joshua Kringorn |
author_facet |
Carlos A. Dominguez-Sanchez Steven H. Ferguson Tera Edkins Brent G. Young Joshua Kringorn |
author_sort |
Carlos A. Dominguez-Sanchez |
title |
Pilot study: decoding the skin microbiome of bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Nunavut, Canada |
title_short |
Pilot study: decoding the skin microbiome of bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Nunavut, Canada |
title_full |
Pilot study: decoding the skin microbiome of bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Nunavut, Canada |
title_fullStr |
Pilot study: decoding the skin microbiome of bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Nunavut, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Pilot study: decoding the skin microbiome of bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) and killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Nunavut, Canada |
title_sort |
pilot study: decoding the skin microbiome of bowhead (balaena mysticetus) and killer whales (orcinus orca) in nunavut, canada |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2023-0028 https://doaj.org/article/b6efd74ffc734eb4a5d5bda1a0d12516 |
genre |
Arctic Balaena mysticetus bowhead whale Killer Whale Nunavut Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale |
genre_facet |
Arctic Balaena mysticetus bowhead whale Killer Whale Nunavut Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale |
op_source |
Arctic Science, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 169-188 (2024) |
op_relation |
https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2023-0028 https://doaj.org/toc/2368-7460 doi:10.1139/as-2023-0028 2368-7460 https://doaj.org/article/b6efd74ffc734eb4a5d5bda1a0d12516 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2023-0028 |
container_title |
Arctic Science |
_version_ |
1810292233214099456 |