The Experts below are selected from a list of 360 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Randall S Wells - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Characterization of the bacterial microbiome among free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).
Heliyon, 2020Co-Authors: María José Robles-malagamba, Randall S Wells, Michael Walsh, Mohammad Shamim Ahasan, Patrick M. Thompson, Christian Jobin, Anthony A. Fodor, Kathryn Winglee, Thomas B. WaltzekAbstract:Abstract Marine animals represent a dynamic and complex habitat for diverse microbial communities. The microbiota associated with bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are believed to influence their health status, but it remains poorly understood. We therefore characterized and compared the bacterial microbiome of bottlenose dolphins from six different anatomical sites that represent four different body systems (respiratory, digestive, reproductive, and integumentary). In this study, a total of 14 free-ranging bottlenose dolphins were sampled during the 2015 Sarasota Bay Dolphin Health Assessment. Bacterial diversity and abundance were assessed by PCR amplification of the hypervariable V3–V4 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene for each sample, followed by sequencing on an Illumina MiSeq platform. Analysis showed that bottlenose dolphins harbor diverse bacterial communities with a unique microbial community at each body system. Additionally, the bottlenose dolphin bacterial microbiome was clearly distinct to the aquatic microbiome from their surrounding habitat. These results are in close agreement with other cetacean microbiome studies, while our study is the first to explore what was found to be a diverse bottlenose dolphin genital microbiome. The core bacterial communities identified in this study in apparently healthy animals might be informative for future health monitoring of bottlenose dolphins.
-
signal specific amplitude adjustment to noise in common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2019Co-Authors: Ida M Kragh, Vincent M Janik, Randall S Wells, Laela S. Sayigh, Frants H Jensen, Katherine Mchugh, Peter L TyackAbstract:Anthropogenic underwater noise has increased over the past century, raising concern about the impact on cetaceans that rely on sound for communication, navigation, and locating prey and predators. Many terrestrial animals increase the amplitude of their acoustic signals to partially compensate for the masking effect of noise (the Lombard response), but it has been suggested that cetaceans almost fully compensate with amplitude adjustments for increasing noise levels. Here, we use sound-recording DTAGs on pairs of free-ranging common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) to test (i) if dolphins increase signal amplitude to compensate for increasing ambient noise and (ii) whether or not adjustments are identical for different signal types. We present evidence of a Lombard response in the range of 0.1-0.3 dB per 1 dB increase in ambient noise, which is similar to that of terrestrial animals, but much lower than the response reported for other cetaceans. We found that signature whistles tended to be louder and with a lower degree of amplitude adjustment to noise compared to non-signature whistles, suggesting that signature whistles may be selected for higher output levels and may have a smaller scope for amplitude adjustment to noise. The consequence of the limited degree of vocal amplitude compensation is a loss of active space during periods of increased noise, with potential consequences for group cohesion, conspecific encounter rates, and mate attraction.
-
survey of antibiotic resistant bacteria isolated from bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in the southeastern usa
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 2014Co-Authors: Jill R Stewart, Randall S Wells, Teri Rowles, Brian C Balmer, Aleta A Hohn, Forrest I Townsend, Suzanne M Lane, Elizabeth Dyar, Lydia StaggsAbstract:Contamination of coastal waters can carry pathogens and contaminants that cause diseases in humans and wildlife, and these pathogens can be transported by water to areas where they are not indigenous. Marine mammals may be indicators of potential health effects from such pathogens and toxins. Here we isolated bacterial species of relevance to humans from wild bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus and assayed isolated bacteria for antibiotic resistance. Samples were collected during capture-release dolphin health assessments at multiple coastal and estuarine sites along the US mid-Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. These samples were transported on ice and evaluated using commercial systems and aerobic culture techniques routinely employed in clinical laboratories. The most common bacteria identified were species belonging to the genus Vibrio, although Escherichia coli, Shewanella putrefaciens, and Pseudomonas fluorescens/putida were also common. Some of the bacterial species identified have been associated with human illness, including a strain of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) identified in 1 sample. Widespread antibiotic resistance was observed among all sites, although the percentage of resistant isolates varied across sites and across time. These data provide a baseline for future comparisons of the bacteria that colonize bottlenose dolphins in the southeastern USA.
-
reference ranges for body condition in wild bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus
Aquatic Biology, 2013Co-Authors: Leslie B Hart, Randall S Wells, Lori H. SchwackeAbstract:Marine mammal body condition, as evaluated by a combination of mass, length, and/or girth measurements, is considered an indicator of nutritional status. We used measure- ments of total mass, total length, and maximum girth from long-term bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus capture−release research conducted in Sarasota Bay, Florida, USA, (1987 to 2009) to develop 95th percentile reference ranges for 2 body condition models: (1) total mass versus total length and (2) maximum girth versus total length. Nonlinear and linear quantile regression meth- ods were used to estimate the parameters for the reference ranges and develop predictive models to examine body condition among individual dolphins. The flexibility of these models and reliance upon commonly acquired morphometrics allows for broad application among researchers lacking data on mass or age. Ultimately, these reference ranges can be used to evaluate and compare the body condition of individual animals and provide an additional metric for evaluating the general health of coastal populations.
-
identifying signature whistles from recordings of groups of unrestrained bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus
Marine Mammal Science, 2013Co-Authors: Vincent M Janik, Laela S. Sayigh, Stephanie L King, Randall S WellsAbstract:Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have individually distinctive signature whistles. Each individual dolphin develops its own unique frequency modulation pattern and uses it to broadcast its identity. However, underwater sound localization is challenging, and researchers have had difficulties identifying signature whistles. The traditional method to identify them involved isolating individuals. In this context, the signature whistle is the most commonly produced whistle type of an animal. However, most studies on wild dolphins cannot isolate animals. We present a novel method, SIGnature IDentification (SIGID), that can identify signature whistles in recordings of groups of dolphins recorded via a single hydrophone. We found that signature whistles tend to be delivered in bouts with whistles of the same type occurring within 1–10 s of each other. Nonsignature whistles occur with longer or shorter interwhistle intervals, and this distinction can be used to identify signature whistles in a recording. We tested this method on recordings from wild and captive bottlenose dolphins and show thresholds needed to identify signature whistles reliably. SIGID will facilitate the study of signature whistle use in the wild, signature whistle diversity between different populations, and potentially allow signature whistles to be used in mark-recapture studies.
Vincent M Janik - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
signal specific amplitude adjustment to noise in common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2019Co-Authors: Ida M Kragh, Vincent M Janik, Randall S Wells, Laela S. Sayigh, Frants H Jensen, Katherine Mchugh, Peter L TyackAbstract:Anthropogenic underwater noise has increased over the past century, raising concern about the impact on cetaceans that rely on sound for communication, navigation, and locating prey and predators. Many terrestrial animals increase the amplitude of their acoustic signals to partially compensate for the masking effect of noise (the Lombard response), but it has been suggested that cetaceans almost fully compensate with amplitude adjustments for increasing noise levels. Here, we use sound-recording DTAGs on pairs of free-ranging common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) to test (i) if dolphins increase signal amplitude to compensate for increasing ambient noise and (ii) whether or not adjustments are identical for different signal types. We present evidence of a Lombard response in the range of 0.1-0.3 dB per 1 dB increase in ambient noise, which is similar to that of terrestrial animals, but much lower than the response reported for other cetaceans. We found that signature whistles tended to be louder and with a lower degree of amplitude adjustment to noise compared to non-signature whistles, suggesting that signature whistles may be selected for higher output levels and may have a smaller scope for amplitude adjustment to noise. The consequence of the limited degree of vocal amplitude compensation is a loss of active space during periods of increased noise, with potential consequences for group cohesion, conspecific encounter rates, and mate attraction.
-
identifying signature whistles from recordings of groups of unrestrained bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus
Marine Mammal Science, 2013Co-Authors: Vincent M Janik, Laela S. Sayigh, Stephanie L King, Randall S WellsAbstract:Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have individually distinctive signature whistles. Each individual dolphin develops its own unique frequency modulation pattern and uses it to broadcast its identity. However, underwater sound localization is challenging, and researchers have had difficulties identifying signature whistles. The traditional method to identify them involved isolating individuals. In this context, the signature whistle is the most commonly produced whistle type of an animal. However, most studies on wild dolphins cannot isolate animals. We present a novel method, SIGnature IDentification (SIGID), that can identify signature whistles in recordings of groups of dolphins recorded via a single hydrophone. We found that signature whistles tend to be delivered in bouts with whistles of the same type occurring within 1–10 s of each other. Nonsignature whistles occur with longer or shorter interwhistle intervals, and this distinction can be used to identify signature whistles in a recording. We tested this method on recordings from wild and captive bottlenose dolphins and show thresholds needed to identify signature whistles reliably. SIGID will facilitate the study of signature whistle use in the wild, signature whistle diversity between different populations, and potentially allow signature whistles to be used in mark-recapture studies.
-
Whistle Rates of Wild Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): Influences of Group Size and Behavior
Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2008Co-Authors: Nicola J Quick, Vincent M JanikAbstract:In large social groups acoustic communication signals are prone to signal masking by conspecific sounds. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) use highly distinctive signature whistles that counter masking effects. However, they can be found in very large groups where masking by conspecific sounds may become unavoidable. In this study we used passive acoustic localization to investigate how whistle rates of wild bottlenose dolphins change in relation to group size and behavioral context. We found that individual whistle rates decreased when group sizes got larger. Dolphins displayed higher whistle rates in contexts when group members were more dispersed as in socializing and in nonpolarized movement than during coordinated surface travel. Using acoustic localization showed that many whistles were produced by groups nearby and not by our focal group. Thus, previous studies based on single hydrophone recordings may have been overestimating whistle rates. Our results show that although bottlenose dolphins whistle more in social situations they also decrease vocal output in large groups where the potential for signal masking by other dolphin whistles increases.
-
Facts about signature whistles of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus
Animal Behaviour, 2007Co-Authors: Laela S. Sayigh, Randall S Wells, H. Carter Esch, Vincent M JanikAbstract:Data collected from wild and captive bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus , over the past five decades indicate that they produce individually distinctive signature whistles that function in individual recognition and in maintaining group cohesion. However, a recent study by McCowan & Reiss (2001, Animal Behaviour , 62 , 1151–1162) failed to detect signature whistles in nine of 12 captive bottlenose dolphins. These authors suggested that previous studies of signature whistles had used biased data sets, and claimed that the visual classification methods used by most researchers were inferior to their computerized technique. To evaluate their claims, we randomly selected 20 whistles from each of 20 bottlenose dolphins from recordings made during brief capture–release events in Sarasota Bay, FL, U.S.A., and asked 10 judges to visually group spectrograms based on similarity of their contours. Judges consistently grouped whistles according to the identity of the vocalizer; the mean number of whistles of a single dolphin in the judges' groups was 18.9 ± 1.6 out of 20 possible; resampling simulations indicate that it is highly unlikely ( P
Hernadez-tapia Francisca - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Análisis fúngico marino y potencial patógeno sobre el delfín mular Tursiops truncatus en el estero El Morro, Guayas-Ecuador. //Marine fungal analysis and pathogenic potential of the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus estero El Morro, Guayas-Ecuado
'Universidad Estatal de Milagro (UNEMI)', 2019Co-Authors: Hernadez-tapia FranciscaAbstract:El turismo generado por la observación de delfines mular Tursiops truncatus es una de los principales atractivos turísticos en el estero El Morro, Guayas-Ecuador, sin embargo, la falta de caracterización de hongos en el medio acuático como fuentes principales infecciosas en Tursiops truncatus, genera preocupación sobre esta población, ante esto es necesario la caracterización fúngica del medio acuático en el estero El Morro. Para tal fin, se colectaron muestras de agua durante los meses enero y febrero de 2016, para realizar cultivos de hongos en Agar Sabouraud con dextrosa a temperatura de 30˚C por tres días; posteriormente, se realizó aislados de cepas para identificación morfológica y molecular. La identificación morfológica determinó 17.50% de especies como potencial agente patógeno, entre ellas Aspergillus fumigatus, Blastomyces dermatitidis y Candida albicans. A través del análisis molecular mediante la sección del espaciador interno transcripto ITS [Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS)] se identificó a Rhizopus oryzae, especie reportada como agente causal de infección en delfines. Aunque se detectó Aspergillus carbonarius y Heteroacanthella acanthothysa, estas especies no están catalogadas como agentes patógenos para delfines. Este estudio permite concluir que parte de la diversidad fúngica del agua del estero El Morro representa un potencial riesgo para la salud de los delfines que habitan esta zona. AbstractThe tourism generated by the observation of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus is one of the main tourist attractions in the El Morro estuary, Guayas-Ecuador. However, the lack of characterization of fungi in the aquatic environment as main infectious sources in Tursiops truncatus, generates concern about this population, before this is necessary the fungal characterization of the aquatic environment in the El Morro estuary. For this purpose, water samples were collected during the months of January and February 2016, to culture fungi in Sabouraud Agar with dextrose at 30˚C temperature for three days; later, isolates of strains were made for morphological and molecular identification. The morphological identification determined 17.50% of species as potential pathogenic agent, among them Aspergillus fumigatus, Blastomyces dermatitidis and Candida albicans. Through molecular analysis using the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) section, Rhizopus oryzae, a species reported as a causative agent of infection in dolphins, was identified. Although Aspergillus carbonarius and Heteroacanthella acanthothysa were detected, these species are not catalogued as dolphin pathogens. This study allows to conclude that part of the fungal diversity of the water of the El Morro estuary, which represents a potential risk to the health of the dolphins that inhabit this area.
-
Análisis fúngico marino y potencial patógeno sobre el delfín mular Tursiops truncatus en el estero El Morro, Guayas-Ecuador
2019Co-Authors: Hernadez-tapia FranciscaAbstract:The tourism generated by the observation of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus is one of the main tourist attractions in the El Morro estuary, Guayas-Ecuador. However, the lack of characterization of fungi in the aquatic environment as main infectious sources in Tursiops truncatus, generates concern about this population, before this is necessary the fungal characterization of the aquatic environment in the El Morro estuary. For this purpose, water samples were collected during the months of January and February 2016, to culture fungi in Sabouraud Agar with dextrose at 30˚C temperature for three days; later, isolates of strains were made for morphological and molecular identification. The morphological identification determined 17.50% of species as potential pathogenic agent, among them Aspergillus fumigatus, Blastomyces dermatitidis and Candida albicans. Through molecular analysis using the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) section, Rhizopus oryzae, a species reported as a causative agent of infection in dolphins, was identified. Although Aspergillus carbonarius and Heteroacanthella acanthothysa were detected, these species are not catalogued as dolphin pathogens. This study allows to conclude that part of the fungal diversity of the water of the El Morro estuary, which represents a potential risk to the health of the dolphins that inhabit this area.El turismo generado por la observación de delfines mular Tursiops truncatus es una de los principales atractivos turísticos en el estero El Morro, Guayas-Ecuador, sin embargo, la falta de caracterización de hongos en el medio acuático como fuentes principales infecciosas en Tursiops truncatus, genera preocupación sobre esta población, ante esto es necesario la caracterización fúngica del medio acuático en el estero El Morro. Para tal fin, se colectaron muestras de agua durante los meses enero y febrero de 2016, para realizar cultivos de hongos en Agar Sabouraud con dextrosa a temperatura de 30˚C por tres días; posteriormente, se realizó aislados de cepas para identificación morfológica y molecular. La identificación morfológica determinó 17.50% de especies como potencial agente patógeno, entre ellas Aspergillus fumigatus, Blastomyces dermatitidis y Candida albicans. A través del análisis molecular mediante la sección del espaciador interno transcripto ITS [Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS)] se identificó a Rhizopus oryzae, especie reportada como agente causal de infección en delfines. Aunque se detectó Aspergillus carbonarius y Heteroacanthella acanthothysa, estas especies no están catalogadas como agentes patógenos para delfines. Este estudio permite concluir que parte de la diversidad fúngica del agua del estero El Morro representa un potencial riesgo para la salud de los delfines que habitan esta zona
Laela S. Sayigh - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
signal specific amplitude adjustment to noise in common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus
The Journal of Experimental Biology, 2019Co-Authors: Ida M Kragh, Vincent M Janik, Randall S Wells, Laela S. Sayigh, Frants H Jensen, Katherine Mchugh, Peter L TyackAbstract:Anthropogenic underwater noise has increased over the past century, raising concern about the impact on cetaceans that rely on sound for communication, navigation, and locating prey and predators. Many terrestrial animals increase the amplitude of their acoustic signals to partially compensate for the masking effect of noise (the Lombard response), but it has been suggested that cetaceans almost fully compensate with amplitude adjustments for increasing noise levels. Here, we use sound-recording DTAGs on pairs of free-ranging common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) to test (i) if dolphins increase signal amplitude to compensate for increasing ambient noise and (ii) whether or not adjustments are identical for different signal types. We present evidence of a Lombard response in the range of 0.1-0.3 dB per 1 dB increase in ambient noise, which is similar to that of terrestrial animals, but much lower than the response reported for other cetaceans. We found that signature whistles tended to be louder and with a lower degree of amplitude adjustment to noise compared to non-signature whistles, suggesting that signature whistles may be selected for higher output levels and may have a smaller scope for amplitude adjustment to noise. The consequence of the limited degree of vocal amplitude compensation is a loss of active space during periods of increased noise, with potential consequences for group cohesion, conspecific encounter rates, and mate attraction.
-
identifying signature whistles from recordings of groups of unrestrained bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus
Marine Mammal Science, 2013Co-Authors: Vincent M Janik, Laela S. Sayigh, Stephanie L King, Randall S WellsAbstract:Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) have individually distinctive signature whistles. Each individual dolphin develops its own unique frequency modulation pattern and uses it to broadcast its identity. However, underwater sound localization is challenging, and researchers have had difficulties identifying signature whistles. The traditional method to identify them involved isolating individuals. In this context, the signature whistle is the most commonly produced whistle type of an animal. However, most studies on wild dolphins cannot isolate animals. We present a novel method, SIGnature IDentification (SIGID), that can identify signature whistles in recordings of groups of dolphins recorded via a single hydrophone. We found that signature whistles tend to be delivered in bouts with whistles of the same type occurring within 1–10 s of each other. Nonsignature whistles occur with longer or shorter interwhistle intervals, and this distinction can be used to identify signature whistles in a recording. We tested this method on recordings from wild and captive bottlenose dolphins and show thresholds needed to identify signature whistles reliably. SIGID will facilitate the study of signature whistle use in the wild, signature whistle diversity between different populations, and potentially allow signature whistles to be used in mark-recapture studies.
-
whistles as potential indicators of stress in bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus
Journal of Mammalogy, 2009Co-Authors: Carter H Esch, James E Blum, Laela S. Sayigh, Randall S WellsAbstract:We examined the possibility that parameters of bottlenose dolphin signature whistles may serve as indicators of stress. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida, were recorded during brief capture– release events, which are potentially a source of short-term stress to these dolphins, although no effects of chronic or long-term stress have been observed over the 37+-year duration of the research. Whistles recorded during both brief capture–release and undisturbed, free-ranging conditions were examined to determine whether whistle parameters differ during capture–release versus undisturbed conditions; at the beginning of a capture– release session versus at the end of a session; during an individual’s 1st capture–release session versus later capture–release sessions; and when a mother is caught and released with a dependent calf versus without a dependent calf (i.e., she has no dependent calf at the time of capture–release). We examined a variety of acoustic parameters, including whistle rate, number of loops (repetitive elements), maximum and minimum frequency, and loop, interloop, and whistle duration. We found that whistle rate and number of loops were greater during brief capture–release events than during undisturbed conditions; number of loops decreased and loop duration increased over the duration of a capture–release session; whistle rates decreased with number of capture–release sessions; and females caught and released with dependent calves produced whistles with higher maximum frequencies and shorter interloop intervals than when they did not have dependent calves. Thus, whistles appear to have potential as noninvasive indicators of stress in bottlenose dolphins. Further research is warranted in this area, for example by correlating physiological indices to whistle rates under varying levels of stress. Reliable, noninvasive correlates of stress could be used to monitor dolphins in a variety of circumstances, such as during exposure to anthropogenic noise.
-
Facts about signature whistles of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus
Animal Behaviour, 2007Co-Authors: Laela S. Sayigh, Randall S Wells, H. Carter Esch, Vincent M JanikAbstract:Data collected from wild and captive bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus , over the past five decades indicate that they produce individually distinctive signature whistles that function in individual recognition and in maintaining group cohesion. However, a recent study by McCowan & Reiss (2001, Animal Behaviour , 62 , 1151–1162) failed to detect signature whistles in nine of 12 captive bottlenose dolphins. These authors suggested that previous studies of signature whistles had used biased data sets, and claimed that the visual classification methods used by most researchers were inferior to their computerized technique. To evaluate their claims, we randomly selected 20 whistles from each of 20 bottlenose dolphins from recordings made during brief capture–release events in Sarasota Bay, FL, U.S.A., and asked 10 judges to visually group spectrograms based on similarity of their contours. Judges consistently grouped whistles according to the identity of the vocalizer; the mean number of whistles of a single dolphin in the judges' groups was 18.9 ± 1.6 out of 20 possible; resampling simulations indicate that it is highly unlikely ( P
Patricia A Fair - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
temporal trends in per and polyfluoroalkyl substances in bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus of indian river lagoon florida and charleston south carolina
Environmental Science & Technology, 2019Co-Authors: Katie M Lynch, Patricia A Fair, Gregory D Bossart, Magali Houde, Derek C G Muir, Kurunthachalam Kannan, Scott M Bartell, Matthew O GribbleAbstract:Temporal trends in plasma concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) inhabiting two geographic areas: Indian River Lagoon,...
-
clinicoimmunopathologic findings in atlantic bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus with positive cetacean morbillivirus antibody titers
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 2011Co-Authors: Gregory D Bossart, Tracy A Romano, Margie M Pedenadams, Stephen D Mcculloch, Juli D Goldstein, Patricia A Fair, Charles D. Rice, Adam M. Schaefer, Jeremiah T. Saliki, John S ReifAbstract:Sera from free-ranging Atlantic bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida were tested for antibodies to cetacean morbilliviruses from 2003 to 2007 as part of a multidisciplinary study of individual and population health. A suite of clinico - immunopathologic variables were evaluated in morbillivirus-seropositive dolphins (n = 14) and seronegative healthy dolphins (n = 49). Several important differences were found. Serum alkaline phosphatase, creatine phosphokinase, chloride, albumin and albumin/globulin ratios were signifi- cantly lower in seropositive dolphins. Innate immunity appeared to be upregulated with significant increases in lysozyme concentration and marginally significant increases in monocytic phagocytosis. Adaptive immunity was also impacted in dolphins with positive morbillivirus antibody titers. Mito- gen-induced T lymphocyte proliferation responses were significantly reduced in dolphins with pos- itive morbillivirus antibody titers, and marginally significant decreases were found for absolute numbers of CD4+ lymphocytes. The findings suggest impairment of cell-mediated adaptive immu- nity, similar to the immunologic pattern reported with acute morbillivirus infection in other species. In contrast, dolphins with positive morbillivirus antibody titers appeared to have at least a partially upregulated humoral immune response with significantly higher levels of gamma globulins than healthy dolphins, which may represent an antibody response to morbillivirus infection or other pathogens. These data suggest that subclinical dolphin morbillivirus infection in IRL dolphins may produce clinicoimmunopathologic perturbations that impact overall health.
-
occurrence of triclosan in plasma of wild atlantic bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus and in their environment
The Fifth Education and Science Forum, 2009Co-Authors: Patricia A Fair, Hing Biu Lee, Colin Darling, Natasha Henry, Jeff Adams, Grazina Pacepavicius, Gregory D Bossart, Mehran Alaee, Derek C G MuirAbstract:The presence of triclosan, a widely-used antibacterial chemical, is currently unknown in higher trophiclevel species such as marine mammals. Blood plasma collected from wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Charleston, SC (CHS) (n ¼ 13) and Indian River Lagoon, FL (IRL) (n ¼ 13) in 2005 was analyzed for triclosan. Plasma concentrations in CHS dolphins ranged from 0.12 to 0.27 ng/g wet weight (mean 0.18 ng/g), with 31% of the sampled individuals having detectable triclosan. The mean IRL dolphin plasma concentrations were 0.072 ng/g wet weight (range 0.025–0.11 ng/g); 23% of the samples having
-
Occurrence of triclosan in plasma of wild Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and in their environment
Environmental Pollution, 2009Co-Authors: Patricia A Fair, Hing Biu Lee, Colin Darling, Natasha Henry, Jeff Adams, Grazina Pacepavicius, Gregory D Bossart, Mehran Alaee, Derek MuirAbstract:The presence of triclosan, a widely-used antibacterial chemical, is currently unknown in higher trophic-level species such as marine mammals. Blood plasma collected from wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Charleston, SC (CHS) (n = 13) and Indian River Lagoon, FL (IRL) (n = 13) in 2005 was analyzed for triclosan. Plasma concentrations in CHS dolphins ranged from 0.12 to 0.27 ng/g wet weight (mean 0.18 ng/g), with 31% of the sampled individuals having detectable triclosan. The mean IRL dolphin plasma concentrations were 0.072 ng/g wet weight (range 0.025-0.11 ng/g); 23% of the samples having detectable triclosan. In the CHS area, triclosan effluent values from two WWTP were both 190 ng/L and primary influents were 2800 ng/L and 3400 ng/L. Triclosan values in CHS estuarine surface water samples averaged 7.5 ng/L (n = 18) ranging from 4.9 to 14 ng/L. This is the first study to report bioaccumulation of anthropogenic triclosan in a marine mammal highlighting the need for further monitoring and assessment.
-
isolation and characterization of the first american bottlenose dolphin papillomavirus Tursiops truncatus papillomavirus type 2
Journal of General Virology, 2006Co-Authors: Manuela Rehtanz, Patricia A Fair, Gregory D Bossart, Shinje Ghim, Annabel Rector, Marc Van Ranst, A B JensonAbstract:A novel papillomavirus (PV) was isolated from a genital condyloma of a free-ranging bottlenose dolphin inhabiting the coastal waters of Charleston Harbor, SC, USA: Tursiops truncatus papillomavirus type 2 (TtPV2). This novel virus represents the first isolated North American cetacean PV and the first American bottlenose dolphin PV. After the viral genome was cloned, sequenced and characterized genetically, phylogenetic analyses revealed that TtPV2 is most similar to the only published cetacean PV isolated and characterized thus far, Phocoena spinipinnis PV type 1 (PsPV1). A striking feature of the genome of TtPV2, as well as that of PsPV1, is the lack of an E7 open reading frame, which typically encodes one of the oncogenic proteins believed to be responsible for malignant transformation in the high-risk mucosotropic human papillomaviruses (HPVs). TtPV2 E6 contains a PDZ-binding motif that has been shown to be involved in transformation in the case of high-risk genital HPVs.
