The Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) as a candidate sentinel of Atlantic Ocean health

Abstract

IntroductionSeabirds have been historically used to monitor environmental contamination. The aim of the present study was to test the suitability of a species belonging to the Procellariiformes group, the Manx shearwater, Puffinus puffinus, as a sentinel of environmental health, by determining contaminant levels (trace metals and organochlorine compounds) from carcass tissues and by isolating Vibrio spp. and Aeromonas spp. from live specimens. To this end, 35 Puffinus puffinus carcasses wrecked on the north-central coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and two carcasses recovered in Aracruz, on the coast of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, were sampled, and fragments of muscle and hepatic tissues were collected for contaminant analyses. Swabs from eleven birds found alive at the north-central coast of Rio de Janeiro were collected for isolation of the aforementioned bacteria.ResultsThe average concentration in dry weight (dw) of the trace metals were: mercury 7.19 mg kg-1(liver) and 1.23 mg kg-1 (muscle); selenium 34.66 mg kg-1 (liver) and 7.98 mg kg-1 (muscle); cadmium 22.33 mg kg-1 (liver) and 1.11 mg kg-1 (muscle); and lead, 0.1 mg kg--1 (liver) and 0.16 mg kg-1 (muscle). Organochlorine compounds were detected in all specimens, and hexachlorbiphenyls, heptachlorbiphenyls and DDTs presented the highest levels. Regarding microbiological contamination, bacteria from the Vibrio genus were isolated from 91% of the analyzed specimens. Vibrio harveyi was the predominant species. Bacteria from the Aeromonas genus were isolated from 18% of the specimens. Aeromonas sobria was the only identified species.ConclusionsThe results indicate that Puffinus puffinus seems to be a competent ocean health sentinel. Therefore, the monitoring of contaminant levels and the isolation of public health interest bacteria should proceed in order to consolidate this species importance as a sentinel.

A comprehensive survey of Aeromonas sp. and Vibrio sp. in seabirds from southeastern Brazil: outcomes for public health

“…(Fern andez-Delgado et al 2016) and a higher prevalence of V. cholerae in aquatic birds (Rodr ıguez et al 2010), compared with the present study. In a study conducted in the same region as the present research, V. alginolyticus, V. fluvialis and V. harveyi were also the most prevalent species in a range of animal hosts (Roges et al 2010), although the same was not reported by Cardoso et al (2014).…”

“…; Cardoso et al . ). Birds, more specifically those that inhabit aquatic environments, have the ability to spread pathogenic bacteria to humans through faeces.…”

“…Several studies call attention to the importance of microbiological monitoring of marine biota with the purpose of preventing outbreaks of human diseases related to fish consumption and the use of recreational waters (Moura et al 2012;Cardoso et al 2014). Birds, more specifically those that inhabit aquatic environments, have the ability to spread pathogenic bacteria to humans through faeces.…”

Accumulating evidence suggests that some waterbird species are potential vectors of Vibrio cholerae

“…V . cholerae non-O1/non-O139 was isolated from cloacal swab samples of wild manx shearwater ( Puffinus puffinus ) that were caught in the north-central coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [70]. In another survey that was conducted in the same place a few years later, Cardoso and colleagues [71] isolated and identified V .…”

Cryptic differentiation in the Manx shearwater hinders the identification of a new endemic subspecies

“…shielding luminaries, restricting emissions in the shorter wavelengths, and reducing timing and intensity of lighting, as well as an enhancement of rescue programmes can already be conducted in those areas where fallout is concentrated (Rodríguez et al 2008, Rodríguez and Rodríguez 2009). Regarding at‐sea threats where there is no specific information, it seems reasonable to speculate that, as other shearwaters, plastic ingestion, oils spills, food depletion and interaction with fisheries could severely affect their populations (Cardoso et al 2014). Thus, a better knowledge on foraging areas during breeding, migration stopovers and wintering areas, is now needed to identify its marine threats.…”