Molecular Diagnosis of Cetacean Morbillivirus in Beaked Whales Stranded in the Canary Islands (1999–2017)

A retrospective survey for detecting the cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) was carried out in beaked whales (BWs) stranded in the Canary Islands (1999–2017). CeMV is responsible for causing worldwide epizootic events with the highest mass die-offs in cetaceans, although the epidemic status of the Canari...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Veterinary Sciences
Main Authors: Idaira Felipe-Jiménez, Antonio Fernández, Manuel Arbelo, Simone Segura-Göthlin, Ana Colom-Rivero, Cristian M. Suárez-Santana, Jesús De La Fuente, Eva Sierra
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022
Subjects:
cetaceans
morbillivirus
beaked whales
Canary Islands
PCR
Ziphius cavirostris
Veterinary medicine
SF600-1100
Pacific
North East Atlantic
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9030121
https://doaj.org/article/e5e80fb9cb614a55a93fed3cdafd2b06
Description
Summary:A retrospective survey for detecting the cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) was carried out in beaked whales (BWs) stranded in the Canary Islands (1999–2017). CeMV is responsible for causing worldwide epizootic events with the highest mass die-offs in cetaceans, although the epidemic status of the Canarian Archipelago seems to be that of an endemic situation. A total of 319 tissue samples from 55 BWs (35 Cuvier’s BWs and 20 specimens belonging to the Mesoplodon genus) were subjected to the amplification of a fragment of the fusion protein (F) and/or phosphoprotein (P) genes of CeMV by means of one or more of three polymerase chain reactions (PCR). RNA integrity could not be demonstrated in samples from 11 animals. Positivity (dolphin morbillivirus strain (DMV)) was detected in the skin sample of only a subadult male Cuvier’s BW stranded in 2002, being the earliest confirmed occurrence of DMV in the Cuvier’s BW species. The obtained P gene sequence showed the closest relationship with other DMVs detected in a striped dolphin stranded in the Canary Islands in the same year. A phylogenetic analysis supports a previous hypothesis of a cross-species infection and the existence of the circulation of endemic DMV strains in the Atlantic Ocean similar to those later detected in the North-East Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea and the South-West Pacific.

Similar Items