Pathogen Exposure in White Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway
The Svalbard white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) population is one of the smallest in the world, making it particularly vulnerable to challenges such as climate change and pathogens. In this study, serum samples from live captured (2001-2016) white whales from this region were investigated for influ...
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ftunivtroemsoe:oai:munin.uit.no:10037/30489 2023-09-26T15:14:53+02:00 Pathogen Exposure in White Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway Nymo, Ingebjørg Helena Siebert, Ursula Baechlein, Christine Postel, Alexander Breines, Eva Marie Lydersen, Christian Kovacs, Kit M. Tryland, Morten 2022-12-29 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/30489 https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010058 eng eng MDPI Pathogens Norges forskningsråd: 2444488 Nymo, Siebert, Baechlein, Postel, Breines, Lydersen, Kovacs, Tryland. Pathogen Exposure in White Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway. Pathogens. 2023;12(1) FRIDAID 2124459 doi:10.3390/pathogens12010058 2076-0817 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/30489 Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) openAccess Copyright 2023 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 Journal article Tidsskriftartikkel Peer reviewed publishedVersion 2022 ftunivtroemsoe https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010058 2023-08-30T23:07:24Z The Svalbard white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) population is one of the smallest in the world, making it particularly vulnerable to challenges such as climate change and pathogens. In this study, serum samples from live captured (2001-2016) white whales from this region were investigated for influenza A virus (IAV) antibodies (Abs) (n = 27) and RNA (n = 25); morbillivirus (MV) Abs (n = 3) and RNA (n = 25); Brucella spp. Abs; and Toxoplasma gondii Abs (n = 27). IAV Abs were found in a single adult male that was captured in Van Mijenfjorden in 2001, although no IAV RNA was detected. Brucella spp. Abs were found in 59% of the sample group (16/27). All MV and T. gondii results were negative. The results show that Svalbard white whales have been exposed to IAV and Brucella spp., although evidence of disease is lacking. However, dramatic changes in climate and marine ecosystems are taking place in the Arctic, so surveillance of health parameters, including pathogens, is critical for tracking changes in the status of this vulnerable population. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change Delphinapterus leucas Svalbard Van Mijenfjorden White whale University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive Arctic Norway Svalbard Van Mijenfjorden ENVELOPE(14.667,14.667,77.717,77.717) Pathogens 12 1 58 |
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Open Polar |
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University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtroemsoe |
language |
English |
description |
The Svalbard white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) population is one of the smallest in the world, making it particularly vulnerable to challenges such as climate change and pathogens. In this study, serum samples from live captured (2001-2016) white whales from this region were investigated for influenza A virus (IAV) antibodies (Abs) (n = 27) and RNA (n = 25); morbillivirus (MV) Abs (n = 3) and RNA (n = 25); Brucella spp. Abs; and Toxoplasma gondii Abs (n = 27). IAV Abs were found in a single adult male that was captured in Van Mijenfjorden in 2001, although no IAV RNA was detected. Brucella spp. Abs were found in 59% of the sample group (16/27). All MV and T. gondii results were negative. The results show that Svalbard white whales have been exposed to IAV and Brucella spp., although evidence of disease is lacking. However, dramatic changes in climate and marine ecosystems are taking place in the Arctic, so surveillance of health parameters, including pathogens, is critical for tracking changes in the status of this vulnerable population. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Nymo, Ingebjørg Helena Siebert, Ursula Baechlein, Christine Postel, Alexander Breines, Eva Marie Lydersen, Christian Kovacs, Kit M. Tryland, Morten |
spellingShingle |
Nymo, Ingebjørg Helena Siebert, Ursula Baechlein, Christine Postel, Alexander Breines, Eva Marie Lydersen, Christian Kovacs, Kit M. Tryland, Morten Pathogen Exposure in White Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway |
author_facet |
Nymo, Ingebjørg Helena Siebert, Ursula Baechlein, Christine Postel, Alexander Breines, Eva Marie Lydersen, Christian Kovacs, Kit M. Tryland, Morten |
author_sort |
Nymo, Ingebjørg Helena |
title |
Pathogen Exposure in White Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway |
title_short |
Pathogen Exposure in White Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway |
title_full |
Pathogen Exposure in White Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway |
title_fullStr |
Pathogen Exposure in White Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway |
title_full_unstemmed |
Pathogen Exposure in White Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway |
title_sort |
pathogen exposure in white whales (delphinapterus leucas) in svalbard, norway |
publisher |
MDPI |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/30489 https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010058 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(14.667,14.667,77.717,77.717) |
geographic |
Arctic Norway Svalbard Van Mijenfjorden |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Norway Svalbard Van Mijenfjorden |
genre |
Arctic Climate change Delphinapterus leucas Svalbard Van Mijenfjorden White whale |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change Delphinapterus leucas Svalbard Van Mijenfjorden White whale |
op_relation |
Pathogens Norges forskningsråd: 2444488 Nymo, Siebert, Baechlein, Postel, Breines, Lydersen, Kovacs, Tryland. Pathogen Exposure in White Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway. Pathogens. 2023;12(1) FRIDAID 2124459 doi:10.3390/pathogens12010058 2076-0817 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/30489 |
op_rights |
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) openAccess Copyright 2023 The Author(s) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens12010058 |
container_title |
Pathogens |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
58 |
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1778135788324651008 |