Multidisciplinary studies on a sick-leader syndrome-associated mass stranding of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) along the Adriatic coast of Italy

Mazzariol, Sandro; Centelleghe, Cinzia; Cozzi, Bruno; Povinelli, Michele; Marcer, Federica; Ferri, Nicola; G, Di Francesco; Badagliacca, Pietro; Profeta, Francesca; Olivieri, Vincenzo; Guccione, Sergio; Cocumelli, Cristiano; Terracciano, Giuliana; Troiano, Pasquale; Beverelli, Matteo; Garibaldi, Fulvio; Podestà, Michela; Marsili, Letizia; Fossi, María Cristina; Mattiucci, Simonetta; Cipriani, Paolo; Nurra, Daniele De; Zaccaroni, Annalisa; Rubini, Silva; Berto, Daniela; Quiros, Yara Beraldo de; Fernandez, A.; Giorda, Federica; Pautasso, Alessandra; Modesto, Paola; Casalone, Cristina; Guardo, Giovanni Di

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-29966-7

Cited by 26 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…On the opposite, cephalopods belonging to the Histioteuthidae family represent the main diet of sperm whales 54 , 55 and to follow those belonging to the Architeuthis genus. Interestingly, Bustamante et al 56 , have found high concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu and Se bioaccumulated in the digestive gland of Architeuthis dux from the Mediterranean and Atlantic Spanish waters, whereas high concentrations of As, Co, Hg, Ni, and Se were also found in branchial hearts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wild whale faecal samples as a proxy of anthropogenic impact

Marangi

Airoldi

Beneduce

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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The occurrence of protozoan parasite, bacterial communities, organic pollutants and heavy metals was investigated in free-ranging species of fin (Balaenoptera physalus, n. 2) and sperm (Physeter macrocephalus, n. 2) whales from the Pelagos Sanctuary, Corsican-Ligurian Provencal Basin (Northern-Western Mediterranean Sea). Out of four faecal samples investigated, two from fin whales and one from sperm whale were found positive to Blastocystis sp. A higher number of sequences related to Synergistetes and Spirochaetae were found in sperm whales if compared with fin whales. Moreover, As, Co and Hg were found exclusively in sperm whale faecal samples, while Pb was found only in fin whale faecal samples. The concentration of both PAH and PCB was always below the limit of detection. This is the first report in which the presence of these opportunistic pathogens, bacteria and chemical pollutants have been investigated in faecal samples of free-ranging whale species and the first record of Blastocystis in fin and sperm whales. Thus, this study may provide baseline data on new anthropozoonotic parasite, bacterial records and heavy metals in free-ranging fin and sperm whales, probably as a result of an increasing anthropogenic activity. This survey calls for more integrated research to perform regular monitoring programs supported by national and/or international authorities responsible for preservation of these still vulnerable and threatened whale species in the Mediterranean Sea.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wild whale faecal samples as a proxy of anthropogenic impact

Marangi

Airoldi

Beneduce

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…An hypothesis may be that the NE-Atlantic strain was introduced in the Mediterranean Sea in 2014 by the www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Strait of Gibraltar, known to be an area of contact between cetaceans from the two seas. The pod that was found stranded on the Adriatic shores of Italy 3,30,31 may have come into contact with a carrier pod from the Atlantic Ocean 32 . Either Globicephala melas and Stenella coeruleoalba may have introduced of the NE-Atlantic strain to the naive cetacean population of the Mediterranean Sea, due to their well documented roles as DMV carriers 8,33 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Specific capture and whole-genome phylogeography of Dolphin morbillivirus

Cerutti

Giorda

Grattarola

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) is considered an emerging threat having caused several epidemics worldwide. Only few DMV genomes are publicly available. Here, we report the use of target enrichment directly from cetacean tissues to obtain novel DMV genome sequences, with sequence comparison and phylodynamic analysis. RNA from 15 tissue samples of cetaceans stranded along the Italian and French coasts (2008–2017) was purified and processed using custom probes (by bait hybridization) for target enrichment and sequenced on Illumina MiSeq. Data were mapped against the reference genome, and the novel sequences were aligned to the available genome sequences. The alignment was then used for phylogenetic and phylogeographic analysis using MrBayes and BEAST. We herein report that target enrichment by specific capture may be a successful strategy for whole-genome sequencing of DMV directly from field samples. By this strategy, 14 complete and one partially complete genomes were obtained, with reads mapping to the virus up to 98% and coverage up to 7800X. The phylogenetic tree well discriminated the Mediterranean and the NE-Atlantic strains, circulating in the Mediterranean Sea and causing two different epidemics (2008–2015 and 2014–2017, respectively), with a limited time overlap of the two strains, sharing a common ancestor approximately in 1998.

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“…Habitat degradation, interaction with fisheries, and climate change are considered important issues interfering with the conservation of cetaceans worldwide [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Indeed, in the last decades the frequency of cetacean unusual mortality and stranding events has increased worldwide, including in the Mediterranean Sea [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dolphins Stranded along the Tuscan Coastline (Central Italy) of the “Pelagos Sanctuary”: A Parasitological Investigation

et al. 2020

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Parasite monitoring is considered a necessary step for cetacean management and conservation. Between February 2013 and July 2015, 26 dolphins (15 Stenella coeruleoalba, 10 Tursiops truncatus, and one Grampus griseus) stranded along the Tuscan coastline of the protected marine area “Pelagos Sanctuary”, were examined. Organs, tissues, and faecal and blood samples taken from all animals were analysed by parasitological, immunological, and molecular techniques. Twenty-one out of 26 dolphins (80.77%) tested positive for at least one parasite species, and 13/15 (86.7%) S. coeruleoalba, 7/10 (70%) T. truncatus, and the single G. griseus were found positive. Identified parasites included the nematodes Skrjabinalius guevarai (7.69%, 2/26), Halocercus lagenorhynchi (3.85%, 1/26), Halocercus delphini (7.69%, 2/26), Stenurus ovatus (7.69%, 2/26), Crassicauda spp. (7.69%, 2/26); the trematodes Pholeter gastrophilus (26.92%, 7/26), Campula palliata (3.85%, 1/26); the cestodes Phyllobothrium delphini (42.31%, 11/26), Monorygma grimaldii (23.08%, 6/26), Tetrabothrium forsteri (7.69%, 2/26), Strobilocephalus triangularis (7.69%, 2/26), and the acanthocephalan Bolbosoma vasculosum (7.69%, 2/26). Moreover, 6/26 (23%) animals scored positive to Toxoplasma gondii at serology, but PCR confirmed the infection (T. gondii Type II genotype) in a single animal. In examined dolphins, obtained results showed a high prevalence of endoparasites, which included species considered as a cause of severe debilitation or death.

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Multidisciplinary studies on a sick-leader syndrome-associated mass stranding of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) along the Adriatic coast of Italy

Cited by 26 publications

References 85 publications

Wild whale faecal samples as a proxy of anthropogenic impact

Wild whale faecal samples as a proxy of anthropogenic impact

Specific capture and whole-genome phylogeography of Dolphin morbillivirus

Dolphins Stranded along the Tuscan Coastline (Central Italy) of the “Pelagos Sanctuary”: A Parasitological Investigation

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