Dolphin Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii coinfection in a Mediterranean fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)

Background: Although Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii have emerged as important pathogens for several cetaceans populations over the last 20 years, they have never been identified together in a Mysticete. In particular, morbilliviral infection has been never described in the Mediterranean fin wha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC Veterinary Research
Main Authors: Mazzariol, Sandro, Marcer, Federica, Mignone, Walter, Serracca, Laura, Goria, Mariella, MARSILI, LETIZIA, Di Guardo, Giovanni, Casalone, Cristina
Other Authors: Marsili, Letizia
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2012
Subjects:
Ddt
Dolphin morbilliviru
Fin whale
Mediterranean sea
Toxoplasma gondii
Animal
Hydrocarbons
Chlorinated
Male
Morbilliviru
Morbillivirus Infection
Toxoplasma
Toxoplasmosis
Water Pollutants
Chemical
Whale
Veterinary (all)
Balaenoptera physalus
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11365/1005678
https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-8-20
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1746-6148/8/20
Description
Summary:Background: Although Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii have emerged as important pathogens for several cetaceans populations over the last 20 years, they have never been identified together in a Mysticete. In particular, morbilliviral infection has been never described in the Mediterranean fin whale population.Case presentation: On January 2011 an adult male of fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) stranded along the Tyrrhenian coastline of Italy. During necropsy, tissue samples from heart, skeletal muscle, mesenteric lymph nodes, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney were collected and subsequently analyzed for Morbillivirus and Toxoplasma gondii by microscopic and molecular methods. Following the detailed necropsy carried out on this whale, molecular analysis revealed, for the first time, the simultaneous presence of a Dolphin Morbillivirus (DMV) and T. gondii infection coexisting with each other, along with high organochlorine pollutant concentrations, with special reference to DDT.Conclusion: This report, besides confirming the possibility for Mysticetes to be infected with DMV, highlights the risk of toxoplasmosis in sea water for mammals, already immunodepressed by concurrent factors as infections and environmental contaminants. © 2012 Mazzariol et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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