Authors: McAloose, Denise; Rago, María Virginia; Di Martino, Matías; Chirife, Andrea; Olson, Sarah H.; Beltramino, Lucas Esteban; Pozzi, Luciana Melina; Musmeci, Luciana Raquel; la Sala, Luciano Francisco; Mohamed, Nadia; Sala, Juan Emilio; Bandieri, Lucas Martín; Andrejuk, Julian; Tomaszewicz, Ania; Seimon, Tracie; Sironi, Mariano; Samartino, Luis Ernesto; Rowntree, Victoria; Uhart, Marcela María
Publication Date: 2016.
Language: English.
Abstract:
Between 2003 and 2012, 605 southern right whales (SRW; Eubalaena australis) were found dead along the shores of Península Valdés (PV), Argentina. These deaths included alarmingly high annual losses between 2007 and 2012, a peak number of deaths (116) in 2012, and a significant number of deaths across years in calves-of-the-year (544 of 605 [89.9%]; average = 60.4 yr-1). Postmortem examination and pathogen testing were performed on 212 whales; 208 (98.1%) were calvesof- the-year and 48.0% of these were newborns or neonates. A known or probable cause of death was established in only a small number (6.6%) of cases. These included ship strike in a juvenile and blunt trauma or lacerations (n = 5), pneumonia (n = 4), myocarditis (n = 2), meningitis (n = 1), or myocarditis and meningitis (n = 1) in calves. Ante-mortem gull parasitism was the most common gross finding. It was associated with systemic disease in a single 1-2 mo old calf. Immunohistochemical labeling for canine distemper virus, Toxoplasma gondii and Brucella spp., and PCR for cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV), influenza A, and apicomplexan protozoa were negative on formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded lung and brain samples from a subset of whales; PCR for Brucella spp. was positive in a newborn/neonate with pneumonia. Skin samples from whales with gull parasitism were PCR negative for CeMV, poxvirus, and papillomavirus. This is the first long-term study to investigate and summarize notable post-mortem findings in the PV SRW population. Consistent, significant findings within or between years to explain the majority of deaths and those in high-mortality years remain to be identified.
Author affiliation: McAloose, Denise. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Rago, María Virginia. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Author affiliation: Di Martino, Matías. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Chirife, Andrea. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Olson, Sarah H.. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Beltramino, Lucas Esteban. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Author affiliation: Pozzi, Luciana Melina. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina. Fundación Patagonia Natural; Argentina
Author affiliation: Musmeci, Luciana Raquel. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina. Fundación Patagonia Natural; Argentina
Author affiliation: la Sala, Luciano Francisco. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
Author affiliation: Mohamed, Nadia. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Sala, Juan Emilio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Bandieri, Lucas Martín. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Andrejuk, Julian. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Tomaszewicz, Ania. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Seimon, Tracie. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Sironi, Mariano. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; Argentina
Author affiliation: Samartino, Luis Ernesto. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Patobiología; Argentina
Author affiliation: Rowntree, Victoria. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. University of Utah; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Uhart, Marcela María. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados Unidos. University of California; Estados Unidos
Repository: CONICET Digital (CONICET). Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Authors: McAloose, Denise; Rago, María Virginia; Di Martino, Matías; Chirife, Andrea; Olson, Sarah; Beltramino, Lucas; Pozzi, Luciana Melina; Musmeci, Luciana; La Sala, Luciano Francisco; Mohamed, Nadia; Sala, Juan Emilio; Bandieri, Lucas; Andrejuk, Julian; Tomaszewicz, Ania; Seimon, Tracie; Sironi, Mariano; Samartino, Luis Ernesto; Rowntree, Victoria; Uhart, Marcela M.
Publication Date: 2016.
Language: English.
Abstract:
Between 2003 and 2012, 605 southern right whales (SRW; Eubalaena australis) were found dead along the shores of Península Valdés (PV), Argentina. These deaths included alarmingly high annual losses between 2007 and 2012, a peak number of deaths (116) in 2012, and a significant number of deaths across years in calves-of-the-year (544 of 605 [89.9%]; average = 60.4 yr-1). Post-mortem examination and pathogen testing were performed on 212 whales; 208 (98.1%) were calves-of-the-year and 48.0% of these were newborns or neonates. A known or probable cause of death was established in only a small number (6.6%) of cases. These included ship strike in a juvenile and blunt trauma or lacerations (n = 5), pneumonia (n = 4), myocarditis (n = 2), meningitis (n = 1), or myocarditis and meningitis (n = 1) in calves. Ante-mortem gull parasitism was the most common gross finding. It was associated with systemic disease in a single 1-2 mo old calf. Immunohistochemical labeling for canine distemper virus, Toxoplasma gondii and Brucella spp., and PCR for cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV), influenza A, and apicomplexan protozoa were negative on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung and brain samples from a subset of whales; PCR for Brucella spp. was positive in a newborn/neonate with pneumonia. Skin samples from whales with gull parasitism were PCR negative for CeMV, poxvirus, and papillomavirus. This is the first long-term study to investigate and summarize notable post-mortem findings in the PV SRW population. Consistent, significant findings within or between years to explain the majority of deaths and those in high-mortality years remain to be identified
Inst. de Patobiología
Author affiliation: McAloose, DeniseWildlife Conservation Society Zoological Health Program; Estados Unidos. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Rago, Virginia. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Wildlife Conservation Society Wildlife Health & Health Policy Program; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Di Martino, Matías. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Wildlife Conservation Society Wildlife Health & Health Policy Program; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Chirife, AndreaSouthern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Olson, Sarah. Wildlife Conservation Society Wildlife Health & Health Policy Program; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Beltramino, Lucas. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Pozzi, Luciana Melina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Fundación Patagonia Natural; Argentina
Author affiliation: Musmeci, Luciana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Fundación Patagonia Natural; Argentina
Author affiliation: la Sala, Luciano Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Bahia Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biologia, Bioquimica y Farmacia. Catedra de Parasitologia Clinica; Argentina
Author affiliation: Mohamed, Nadia. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Sala, Juan Emilio. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Bandieri, Lucas. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Andrejuk, Julian. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina
Author affiliation: Tomaszewicz, Ania. Wildlife Conservation Society Zoological Health Program; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Tomaszewicz, Ania. Wildlife Conservation Society Zoological Health Program; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Seimon, Tracie. Wildlife Conservation Society Zoological Health Program; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Sironi, Mariano. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas; Argentina
Author affiliation: Samartino, Luis Ernesto. INTA. Instituto de Patobiología; Argentina
Author affiliation: Rowntree, Victoria. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. University of Utah. Department of Biology; Estados Unidos
Author affiliation: Uhart, Marcela M. Southern Right Whale Health Monitoring Program; Argentina. Wildlife Conservation Society Wildlife Health & Health Policy Program; Estados Unidos. University of California. School of Veterinary Medicine. One Health Institute; Argentina
Repository: INTA Digital (INTA). Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria