Serologic Survey for Brucella Spp., Phocid Herpesvirus-1, Phocid Herpesvirus-2, and Phocine Distemper Virus in Harbor Seals From Alaska, 1976–1999

Zarnke, Randall L.; Saliki, Jeremiah T.; MacMillan, Alastair; Brew, Simon D.; Dawson, Claire; Hoef, Jay M. Ver; Frost, Kathryn J.; Small, Robert J.

doi:10.7589/0090-3558-42.2.290

Cited by 37 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 52 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Fourteen preweaned, live pups sampled from the same population one year later were all negative, but 3 of 61 adult females were antibody-positive (Blank et al, 2001). In harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), 2 of 18 pups (undefined weaning status) were positive to Brucella on iELISA and cELISA and higher prevalences were found in both juvenile and adult age classes (Zarnke et al, 2006). Increased prevalence with age was also noted in Hawaiian monk seals, in which progressively higher proportions of animals with Brucella antibodies were found in the weaned pup, juvenile, and adult age classes (Aguirre et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Epizootiology of Brucella Infection in Australian Fur Seals

Lynch

Duignan

Taylor

et al. 2011

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ABSTRACT:Novel members of the bacterial genus Brucella have recently emerged as pathogens of various marine mammal species and as potential zoonotic agents. We investigated the epizootiology of Brucella infection in Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) by establishing demographic and temporal variations in antibody prevalence, attempting isolation of the causative agent, and determining whether this potential pathogen is involved in frequent abortions observed in this pinniped species. Two competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (cELISAs), an indirect ELISA, and a fluorescence polarization assay (FPA) were used to test sera for Brucella antibodies. The FPA and cELISA proved suitable for use in this species. Significant differences in antibody prevalence were found between age classes of seals sampled between 2007 and 2009 at one colony. Pups sampled at this site (n5134) were negative for Brucella antibodies by all serologic tests but 17 of 45 (38%) of juveniles were antibody-positive. Antibody prevalence in adult females was significantly higher than in juveniles (P50.044). . Inflammatory lesions suggestive of infectious agents were found in 14 of 39 aborted Australian fur seal pups, but pathologic changes were not uniformly consistent for Brucella infection. Culture and PCR investigations on fetal tissues were negative for Brucella. Culture and PCR on selected fresh or frozen tissues from 36 juvenile and adult animals were also negative. We suspect that the prevalence of active infection with Brucella in Australian fur seals is low relative to antibody prevalence.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Epizootiology of Brucella Infection in Australian Fur Seals

Lynch

Duignan

Taylor

et al. 2011

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Prevalence increased with age, as has been reported for Brucella spp. exposure in other marine mammals (Zarnke et al, 2006). That increase may be associated with increased sexual activity with maturation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Assessment of Clinical Pathology and Pathogen Exposure in Sea Otters (Enhydra Lutris) Bordering the Threatened Population in Alaska

Goldstein

Gill

Tuomi

et al. 2011

Journal of Wildlife Diseases

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Reidarson et al (1998) detected titers to dolphin morbillivirus in 6 of 18 common dolphins Delphinis delphis stranded in southern California, but characteristic morbilliviral lesions were not observed. Duignan et al (1995) found no serologic evidence of morbillivirus in 80 harbor seals from the Pacific coast of North America, nor did Zarnke et al (2006) in 286 harbor seals from Alaska. Recently, however, viral nucleic acid identical to an isolate from the 2002 PDV outbreak in the North Sea was reported in sea otters in Alaska (Goldstein et al 2009).…”

Section: Morbillivirusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Surveys of apparently healthy seals in remote areas considered to be relatively pristine have demonstrated exposure to zoonotic bacteria such as Brucella spp., and protozoa such as Giardia, T. gondii, and Sarcocystis neurona (Olson et al 1997, Dubey et al 2003, Zarnke et al 2006, Jensen et al 2010, highlighting the role that marine mammals may play both as sentinels of pathogen pollution in the marine environment and as potential reservoirs for pathogens that could affect humans (Ross 2000). There are thus a variety of zoonotic organisms in the marine environment that can impact both marine mammal and human health.…”

Section: Resale or Republication Not Permitted Without Written Consenmentioning

confidence: 99%

Surveillance for zoonotic and selected pathogens in harbor seals Phoca vitulina from central California

Greig¹,

Gulland²,

Smith³

et al. 2014

Dis. Aquat. Org.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The infection status of harbor seals Phoca vitulina in central California, USA, was evaluated through broad surveillance for pathogens in stranded and wild-caught animals from 2001 to 2008, with most samples collected in 2007 and 2008. Stranded animals from Mendocino County to San Luis Obispo County were sampled at a rehabilitation facility: The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC, n = 175); wild-caught animals were sampled at 2 locations: San Francisco Bay (SF, n = 78) and Tomales Bay (TB, n = 97), that differed in degree of urbanization. Low prevalences of Salmonella, Campylobacter, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium were detected in the feces of stranded and wild-caught seals. Clostridium perfringens and Escherichia coli were more prevalent in the feces of stranded (58% [78 out of 135] and 76% [102 out of 135]) than wild-caught (42% [45 out of 106] and 66% [68 out of 106]) seals, whereas Vibrio spp. were 16 times more likely to be cultured from the feces of seals from SF than TB or TMMC (p < 0.005). Brucella DNA was detected in 3.4% of dead stranded harbor seals (2 out of 58). Type A influenza was isolated from feces of 1 out of 96 wild-caught seals. Exposure to Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis neurona, and type A influenza was only detected in the wild-caught harbor seals (post-weaning age classes), whereas antibody titers to Leptospira spp. were detected in stranded and wild-caught seals. No stranded (n = 109) or wildcaught (n = 217) harbor seals had antibodies to phocine distemper virus, although a single low titer to canine distemper virus was detected. These results highlight the role of harbor seals as sentinel species for zoonotic and terrestrial pathogens in the marine environment.KEY WORDS: Campylobacter · Leptospira · Influenza · Morbillivirus · Neospora · Sarcocystis · Toxoplasma · Vibrio Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherDis Aquat Org 111: [93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106] 2014 affect marine mammals are zoonoses, raising concerns that marine mammal excretions may pose a risk to human health (Knap et al. 2002). Human exposure by fecal, oral, or respiratory routes could occur in the water, on docks, boats, or beaches, or through occupational health exposure.Zoonotic pathogens known to cause disease in harbor seals include influenza A (Geraci et al. 1982, Anthony et al. 2012, Brucella (Garner et al. 1997), Toxoplasma gondii (Lapointe et al. 1998, Miller et al. 2001, and Leptospira interrogans (Stamper et al. 1998, Stevens et al. 1999. Surveys of apparently healthy seals in remote areas considered to be relatively pristine have demonstrated exposure to zoonotic bacteria such as Brucella spp., and protozoa such as Giardia, T. gondii, and Sarcocystis neurona (Olson et al. 1997, Dubey et al. 2003, Zarnke et al. 2006, Jensen et al. 2010, highlighting the role that marine mammals may play both as sentinels of pathogen pollution in the marine environment and as potential reservoirs for pathogens that could affect humans (Ross 2000). There...

show abstract

Serologic Survey for Brucella Spp., Phocid Herpesvirus-1, Phocid Herpesvirus-2, and Phocine Distemper Virus in Harbor Seals From Alaska, 1976–1999

Cited by 37 publications

References 52 publications

Epizootiology of Brucella Infection in Australian Fur Seals

Epizootiology of Brucella Infection in Australian Fur Seals

Assessment of Clinical Pathology and Pathogen Exposure in Sea Otters (Enhydra Lutris) Bordering the Threatened Population in Alaska

Surveillance for zoonotic and selected pathogens in harbor seals Phoca vitulina from central California

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About