Lobomycosis-like disease in common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from Belize and Mexico: bridging the gap between the Americas

Abstract

Lobomycosis and lobomycosis-like diseases (LLD) (also: paracoccidioidomycosis) are chronic cutaneous infections that affect Delphinidae in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. In the Americas, these diseases have been relatively well-described, but gaps still exist in our understanding of their distribution across the continent. Here we report on LLD affecting inshore bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus from the Caribbean waters of Belize and from the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean off the southwestern coast of Mexico. Photo-identification and catalog data gathered between 1992 and 2017 for 371 and 41 individuals, respectively from Belize and Mexico, were examined for the presence of LLD. In Belize, 5 free-ranging and 1 stranded dolphin were found positive in at least 3 communities with the highest prevalence in the south. In Guerrero, Mexico, 4 inshore bottlenose dolphins sighted in 2014-2017 were affected by LLD. These data highlight the need for histological and molecular studies to confirm the etiological agent. Additionally, we document a single case of LLD in an adult Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis in southern Belize, the first report in this species. The role of environmental and anthropogenic factors in the occurrence, severity, and epidemiology of LLD in South and Central America requires further investigation.

Bottlenose Dolphins and Antillean Manatees Respond to Small Multi-Rotor Unmanned Aerial Systems

“…Dolphins were identified according to standard photo-ID techniques (Defran et al, 1990) by matching dorsal fin photos to a catalog of known dolphins in Belize (Campbell et al, 2002;Ramos et al, 2018). We determined the minimum number of different dolphins exposed to the UAS throughout the study instead of the exact number because it was sometimes not possible to identify all dolphins when they were in large groups.…”

“…Dolphins were found in several shallow marine ecosystems (mean water depth = 3.6 m, range = 0.5 to 20 m) in both coastal and offshore regions of Belize ( Figures 1A-C), mostly at Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve ( Figure 1C). Turneffe is an offshore marine atoll 36 km east of the mainland coast where a year-round, small population of resident and non-resident dolphins inhabit shallow seagrass lagoons enclosed by mangrove cayes and a fringing coral reef system (Campbell et al, 2002;Dick and Hines, 2011;Ramos et al, 2016Ramos et al, , 2018. Flights with manatees were primarily conducted on the leeward side of St. George's Caye ( Figure 1B), located 9.5 km east of mainland Belize near the Belize Barrier Reef.…”

Lobomycosis Epidemiology and Management: The Quest for a Cure for the Most Neglected of Neglected Tropical Diseases

“…Lobomycosis in the bottlenose dolphin is as widespread as the geographical range of the bottlenose dolphin itself, with a prevalence as high as 16% [ 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]. Reports showed lobomycosis in bottlenose dolphins off the coasts of Florida, North Carolina (Atlantic Ocean) and Texas (Gulf of Mexico) in the United States, the coasts of Spain and France (Bay of Biscay), and the Brazilian Atlantic coast of Rio Grande do Sul state (Tramandi River) [ 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]. The disease has also been reported in the Guiana dolphin ( Sotalia guianensis ) [ 44 ].…”

Food sharing in rough‐toothed dolphins off southwestern Mexico

“…We sighted rough‐toothed dolphins during boat‐based cetacean surveys conducted as part of the long‐term monitoring efforts of Whales of Guerrero (https://www.whalesinmexico.com/science/research-projects/), a community‐based research organization based in Barra de Potosí that studies marine mammals in the state of Guerrero (e.g., Ramos et al, 2018b; International Whaling Commission, 2018). From January to April each year from 2014 to 2020, we surveyed the Bay of Potosí and along the adjacent coastline within 5 km of shore from small boats (7.5 m long) with outboard engines (60–85 HP).…”