Abstract:Lipids are biomolecules present in all living organisms that, apart from their physiological functions, can be involved in different pathologies. One of these pathologies is fat embolism, which has been described histologically in the lung of cetaceans in association with ship strikes and with gas and fat embolic syndrome. To assess pathological lung lipid composition, previous knowledge of healthy lung tissue lipid composition is essential; however, these studies are extremely scarce in cetaceans. In the pres… Show more
“…Furthermore, the carrier was able to inform us that the dead whale did not sustain any damage during transportation. Unfortunately, we did not examine for edema, flocculent, degeneration of myofibrils and contraction band necrosis or fat embolism in the lungs, which may indicate whether or not the whale was alive [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. In addition, we cannot exclude other reasons for the pathologies such as the fishing industry or attack by other toothed whales.…”
Necropsy on an adult male pilot whale stranded in Denmark in an area with heavy boat traffic revealed internal lesions in the head and neck region, while the exterior did not show any visible lesions. We found multiple fractured bones, muscle trauma and extensive hemorrhage including a fractured occipital bone with several fragments and bone pieces deeply embedded into the cerebrum of the brain. The brain was literally smashed while the third and partially fourth cervical vertebrae were almost pulverized surrounded by large amounts of blood and muscle contusion. The whale was likely killed due to a ship collision, and this particular case substantiates the value of always performing full necropsies including incisions in head and neck regions on all stranded whales—especially in areas with heavy boat traffic. This case demonstrates the importance of veterinarians performing full necropsies of whales to rule out other causes of death. Otherwise, ship collisions may be an overlooked issue having implications for population health.
“…Furthermore, the carrier was able to inform us that the dead whale did not sustain any damage during transportation. Unfortunately, we did not examine for edema, flocculent, degeneration of myofibrils and contraction band necrosis or fat embolism in the lungs, which may indicate whether or not the whale was alive [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. In addition, we cannot exclude other reasons for the pathologies such as the fishing industry or attack by other toothed whales.…”
Necropsy on an adult male pilot whale stranded in Denmark in an area with heavy boat traffic revealed internal lesions in the head and neck region, while the exterior did not show any visible lesions. We found multiple fractured bones, muscle trauma and extensive hemorrhage including a fractured occipital bone with several fragments and bone pieces deeply embedded into the cerebrum of the brain. The brain was literally smashed while the third and partially fourth cervical vertebrae were almost pulverized surrounded by large amounts of blood and muscle contusion. The whale was likely killed due to a ship collision, and this particular case substantiates the value of always performing full necropsies including incisions in head and neck regions on all stranded whales—especially in areas with heavy boat traffic. This case demonstrates the importance of veterinarians performing full necropsies of whales to rule out other causes of death. Otherwise, ship collisions may be an overlooked issue having implications for population health.
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