Contaminants in Atlantic walruses in Svalbard Part 2: Relationships with endocrine and immune systems

Routti, Heli; Diot, Beatrice; Panti, Cristina; Duale, Nur; Fossi, María Cristina; Harju, Mikael; Kovacs, Kit M.; Lydersen, Christian; Scotter, Sophie E.; Villanger, Gro Dehli; Bourgeon, Sophie

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2018.11.097

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…Discussing the effects of contaminants on health status is beyond the scope of this review; however, contaminants should be considered in the context of consequences of multiple stressors on individual populations with documented deleterious additive effects in relation to population health status [ 19 , 410 , 411 ]. Recent publications exploring the immune status of walruses in Svalbard and the effects of contaminants on their health status demonstrate the complex interplay of factors and the need for directed scientific study to answer the question regarding the impact of climate change impact health [ 412 , 413 ]. Similarly, it is well documented that the poor health observed in the St Lawrence white whale population was primarily due to contaminants in this area some decades ago, and that when the environment was improved, white whale health also improved [ 379 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Circumpolar Arctic Marine Mammal Health—A Call to Action in a Time of Rapid Environmental Change

et al. 2023

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The impacts of climate change on the health of marine mammals are increasingly being recognised. Given the rapid rate of environmental change in the Arctic, the potential ramifications on the health of marine mammals in this region are a particular concern. There are eleven endemic Arctic marine mammal species (AMMs) comprising three cetaceans, seven pinnipeds, and the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). All of these species are dependent on sea ice for survival, particularly those requiring ice for breeding. As air and water temperatures increase, additional species previously non-resident in Arctic waters are extending their ranges northward, leading to greater species overlaps and a concomitant increased risk of disease transmission. In this study, we review the literature documenting disease presence in Arctic marine mammals to understand the current causes of morbidity and mortality in these species and forecast future disease issues. Our review highlights potential pathogen occurrence in a changing Arctic environment, discussing surveillance methods for 35 specific pathogens, identifying risk factors associated with these diseases, as well as making recommendations for future monitoring for emerging pathogens. Several of the pathogens discussed have the potential to cause unusual mortality events in AMMs. Brucella, morbillivirus, influenza A virus, and Toxoplasma gondii are all of concern, particularly with the relative naivety of the immune systems of endemic Arctic species. There is a clear need for increased surveillance to understand baseline disease levels and address the gravity of the predicted impacts of climate change on marine mammal species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Circumpolar Arctic Marine Mammal Health—A Call to Action in a Time of Rapid Environmental Change

et al. 2023

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“…Correlations between PFASs and the status of different immunologic parameters or apparent immunologic function have also been investigated in other marine mammals such as walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) by Routti et al (2019) and sea otters (Enhydra lutris) by Kannan et al (2006). In the study with Atlantic walruses from Svalbard the main findings were: 1) a positive correlation of lipophilic POPs in blubber with thyroxine (TT4) concentrations and the TT4 and reverse triiodothyronine ratio and 2) a decreased blood cell transcript levels of genes involved in the function of T and B cells (Routti et al, 2019). The findings of the sea otter study revealed sex-, seasonal-and time-trends with a clear association between infectious diseases occurrence and elevated concentrations of PFOS and PFOA (Kannan et al, 2006).…”

Section: Other Marine Vertebrates: Turtles Seabirds and Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Aminot¹,

Munschy²,

Munoz³

et al. 2023

Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Marine Environment

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“…The qRT-PCR assays were carried out in 96-well reaction plates with an iCycler iQ5 (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA, United States) using the SsoAdvanced Universal SYBR Green Supermix (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA, United States) as described in Routti et al (2019).…”

Section: Rna Isolation and Quantitative Real-time Pcr Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecotoxicological Characterization of Type C Killer Whales From Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica): Molecular Biomarkers, Legacy, and Emerging Persistent Organic Contaminants

et al. 2022

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Among killer whale forms, type C is a fish-eating form and is the most common in the Ross Sea. In the austral summer 2015, a study was conducted to evaluate the toxicological hazard these marine mammals face in the Antarctic ecosystem. Seven biopsy samples were collected from adult individuals (five males and two females) in the surroundings of the Italian Research Station Mario Zucchelli, Terra Nova Bay, by remote dart sampling from the pack ice. The accumulation levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as legacy (DDTs, PCBs, and HCB) and emerging (PBDEs and DP) were measured. Moreover, the protein expression of cytochrome P450 (CYP1A1 and 2B) and the mRNA level variations of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors α and γ (PPARα-γ) and the estrogen receptor α (ERα), aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), and Cyp1a were evaluated. Twenty PCB congeners, six DDTs, HCB, three HCHs, and fourteen brominated BDEs and DP-syn and anti-isomers were analyzed on freeze-dried blubber biopsy samples by GC-MS. The protein expression was evaluated by Western Blot and the mRNA levels were quantified by quantitative real-time PCR. The average abundance pattern for the contaminants was DDTs > PCBs > HCB > HCHs ≈ PBDEs >> DP. Contaminant levels resulted to be lower when compared to the existing data from the Antarctic type C killer whales from the McMurdo Sound (Ross Sea) and those reported for fish-eating killer whales worldwide. The mRNA levels of the five target genes were successfully quantified, but no statistical correlation was found with POP levels, suggesting that either the low levels of quantified POPs in blubber may not significantly affect the biological responses investigated, or that other stressors could contribute to the alterations of the molecular biomarkers. Although the results showed a lower risk related to contamination compared to more impacted areas, this study provides baseline data for the conservation of this species in an area with high ecological value, recently declared as the largest Marine Protected Area in Antarctica, where pollutants should remain at minimum levels despite increasing multiple stresses existing in the region.

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Contaminants in Atlantic walruses in Svalbard Part 2: Relationships with endocrine and immune systems

Cited by 13 publications

References 114 publications

A Review of Circumpolar Arctic Marine Mammal Health—A Call to Action in a Time of Rapid Environmental Change

A Review of Circumpolar Arctic Marine Mammal Health—A Call to Action in a Time of Rapid Environmental Change

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances

Ecotoxicological Characterization of Type C Killer Whales From Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica): Molecular Biomarkers, Legacy, and Emerging Persistent Organic Contaminants

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