As part of conservation efforts between 1997 and 2001, more than 25% (332 animals) of the endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) population was sampled in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Serum samples were tested for antibodies to viruses, bacteria, and parasites known to cause morbidity and mortality in other marine mammal species. Antibodies were found to phocine herpesvirus-1 by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, but seropositive results were not confirmed by virus neutralization test. Antibodies to Leptospira bratislava, L. hardjo, L. icterohaemorrhagiae, and L. pomona were detected in seals from several sites with the microagglutination test. Antibodies to Brucella spp. were detected using 10 conventional serologic tests, but because of inconsistencies in test results and laboratories used, and the lack of validation by culture, the Brucella serology should be interpreted with caution. Antibodies to B. canis were not detected by card test. Chlamydophila abortus antibodies were detected by complement fixation (CF) test, and prevalence increased significantly as a function of age; the low sensitivity and specificity associated with the CF make interpretation of results difficult. Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii and Dirofilaria immitis were rarely found. There was no serologic evidence of exposure to four morbilliviruses, influenza A virus, canine adenovirus, caliciviruses, or other selected viruses. Continuous surveillance provides a means to detect the introduction or emergence of these or other infectious diseases, but it is dependent on the development or improvement of diagnostic tools. Continued and improved surveillance are both needed as part of future conservation efforts of Hawaiian monk seals.
Abstract. A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) was developed by using a wholecell antigen from a marine Brucella sp. isolated from a harbor seal (Phoca vitulina). The assay was designed to screen sera from multiple marine mammal species for the presence of antibodies against marine-origin Brucella. Based on comparisons with culture-confirmed cases, specificity and sensitivity for cetacean samples tested were 73% and 100%, respectively. For pinniped samples, specificity and sensitivity values were 77% and 67%, respectively. Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi; n 5 28) and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus; n 5 48) serum samples were tested, and the results were compared with several other assays designed to detect Brucella abortus antibodies. The comparison testing revealed the marine-origin cELISA to be more sensitive than the B. abortus tests by the detection of additional positive serum samples. The newly developed cELISA is an effective serologic method for detection of the presence of antibodies against marine-origin Brucella sp. in marine mammals.
We studied morphometric, hematology, and serum chemistry variables in 140 Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) to establish normal baseline values for these variables among free‐living seals. We compared seals at French Frigate Shoals (FFS), Midway Atoll (MID), and Pearl and Hermes Reef (PHR) because these subpopulations differ in their rates of population recovery. Dorsal standard length and axillary girth differed significantly between immature (1–4 yr old) and adult (≥5 yr old) seals among sex and island subgroups. Immature seals at FFS were shorter than those at MID and PHR; adult seals at FFS had smaller dorsal standard lengths and axillary girths compared to the other subpopulations. The differences in size were more pronounced among adult females. Significant differences were also found for hematology and serum chemistry variables among seals at FFS, MID, and PHR. Monk seals at FFS had an absolute lymphopenia and eosinopenia compared to those at MID and PHR, compatible with a stress response. Seals at FFS also had lower blood urea nitrogen than seals at PHR, and a lower plasma potassium than seals at MID or PHR. Monk seals had an absolute and relative eosinophilia compared to previously published values. Analysis of subpopulation differences is useful for population health assessment and for long‐term monitoring of an endangered species.
The Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi ) is an endangered species of pinniped, which lives and breeds primarily on the remote Northwestern Hawaiian 465
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