Eosinophilia and biotoxin exposure in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from a coastal area impacted by repeated mortality events

Schwacke, Lori H.; Twiner, Michael J.; Guise, Sylvain De; Balmer, Brian C.; Wells, Randall S.; Townsend, Forrest I.; Rotstein, David S.; Varela, René A.; Hansen, Larry J.; Zolman, Eric S.; Spradlin, Trevor R.; Levin, Milton; Leibrecht, Heather; Wang, Zhihong; Rowles, Teresa K.

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2010.05.003

Cited by 64 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Read et al (1993) found size similarities between dolphins sampled in Sarasota Bay and the western North Atlantic, suggesting that these reference ranges are likely applicable to populations from other regions of the USA. As bottlenose dolphin health assessment projects in the USA have increased in number and geographic range in recent years , Schwacke et al 2010, 2012, these reference ranges can be used to identify individuals or stocks with compromised health conditions that may be related to or reflected by changes in body condition. …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reference ranges for body condition in wild bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus

Hart¹,

Wells²,

Schwacke³

2013

Aquat. Biol.

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Marine mammal body condition, as evaluated by a combination of mass, length, and/or girth measurements, is considered an indicator of nutritional status. We used measurements of total mass, total length, and maximum girth from long-term bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus capture−release research conducted in Sarasota Bay, Florida, USA, (1987 to 2009) to develop 95th percentile reference ranges for 2 body condition models: (1) total mass versus total length and (2) maximum girth versus total length. Nonlinear and linear quantile regression methods were used to estimate the parameters for the reference ranges and develop predictive models to examine body condition among individual dolphins. The flexibility of these models and reliance upon commonly acquired morphometrics allows for broad application among researchers lacking data on mass or age. Ultimately, these reference ranges can be used to evaluate and compare the body condition of individual animals and provide an additional metric for evaluating the general health of coastal populations.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reference ranges for body condition in wild bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus

Hart¹,

Wells²,

Schwacke³

2013

Aquat. Biol.

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“…Blood was drawn from ventral fluke vasculature as described in Schwacke et al [16]. Whole blood was kept cool, wrapped and shipped overnight on ice packs to the University of Connecticut for immunological testing.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anaemia, hypothyroidism and immune suppression associated with polychlorinated biphenyl exposure in bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus )

et al. 2011

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Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), persistent chemicals widely used for industrial purposes, have been banned in most parts of the world for decades. Owing to their bioaccumulative nature, PCBs are still found in high concentrations in marine mammals, particularly those that occupy upper trophic positions. While PCB-related health effects have been well-documented in some mammals, studies among dolphins and whales are limited. We conducted health evaluations of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) near a site on the Georgia, United States coast heavily contaminated by Aroclor 1268, an uncommon PCB mixture primarily comprised of octa-through deca-chlorobiphenyl congeners. A high proportion (26%) of sampled dolphins suffered anaemia, a finding previously reported from primate laboratory studies using high doses of a more common PCB mixture, Aroclor 1254. In addition, the dolphins showed reduced thyroid hormone levels and total thyroxine, free thyroxine and triiodothyronine negatively correlated with PCB concentration measured in blubber (p ¼ 0.039, , 0.001, 0.009, respectively). Similarly, T-lymphocyte proliferation and indices of innate immunity decreased with blubber PCB concentration, suggesting an increased susceptibility to infectious disease. Other persistent contaminants such as DDT which could potentially confound results were similar in the Georgia dolphins when compared with previously sampled reference sites, and therefore probably did not contribute to the observed correlations. Our results clearly demonstrate that dolphins are vulnerable to PCB-related toxic effects, at least partially mediated through the endocrine system. The severity of the effects suggests that the PCB mixture to which the Georgia dolphins were exposed has substantial toxic potential and further studies are warranted to elucidate mechanisms and potential impacts on other top-level predators, including humans, who regularly consume fish from the same marine waters.

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“…Gulf of Mexico DA in urine, feces and blood Schwacke et al (2010), Fire et al (2011), andTwiner et al (2011) Harbour seal…”

Section: Tursiops Truncatusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pseudo-nitzschia physiological ecology, phylogeny, toxicity, monitoring and impacts on ecosystem health

et al. 2012

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Eosinophilia and biotoxin exposure in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from a coastal area impacted by repeated mortality events

Cited by 64 publications

References 39 publications

Reference ranges for body condition in wild bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus

Reference ranges for body condition in wild bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus

Anaemia, hypothyroidism and immune suppression associated with polychlorinated biphenyl exposure in bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus )

Pseudo-nitzschia physiological ecology, phylogeny, toxicity, monitoring and impacts on ecosystem health

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