Diseases of Aquatic Organisms
DAO is a hybrid research journal on all aspects of disease phenomena in aquatic organisms.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03770
copiedErysipelas with preferential brain and skin involvement in a Mediterranean bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus
- Laura Martino
- Bárbara Serrano
- Jaume Alomar
- Lola Pérez
- Virginia Aragon
- Alex Cobos
- María Lourdes Abarca
- Zeinab Yazdi
- Esteban Soto
- Mariano Domingo
ABSTRACT: Infections by Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae occur in domestic animals and cause the disease known as ‘erysipelas’. The ubiquity of Erysipelothrix spp. makes infection possible in a wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates. Cetaceans are highly susceptible to erysipelas, especially those under human care. The number of cases documented in wild cetaceans is low, the pathogenesis is incompletely understood, and the full spectrum of lesions is not well defined. The possible serotypes and species of the genus that can cause disease are unknown. In October 2022, a common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus stranded in Vilassar de Mar (Catalonia) showing skin lesions consistent with ‘diamond skin disease’, a characteristic lesion of erysipelas shared by swine and cetaceans. Necropsy was performed following standardized procedures, and multiple samples were taken for histopathology and bacteriology. Erysipelothrix sp. grew in pure culture in many tissue samples. Genetic characterization by multi-locus sequence analysis identified the species as E.rhusiopathiae. Histologically, the main lesions were an intense suppurative vasculitis of leptomeningeal arteries and veins with abundant intramural Gram-positive bacilli and meningeal hemorrhages. Meningeal lesions were considered the cause of death. The affected skin showed moderate suppurative dermatitis. Herein we document a case of erysipelas in a Mediterranean common bottlenose dolphin with unusual lesions in the leptomeningeal vessels and marked skin tropism. To our knowledge, this is the first case of severe brain involvement in erysipelas in a cetacean. We also provide a review of available cases in wild cetaceans, to highlight the characteristics of the disease and improve future diagnosis.
KEYWORDS
Laura Martino (Corresponding Author)
- Servei de Diagnòstic de Patologia Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
Bárbara Serrano (Co-author)
- Servei de Diagnòstic de Patologia Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
Jaume Alomar (Co-author)
- Servei de Diagnòstic de Patologia Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
Lola Pérez (Co-author)
- Facultat de Veterinària de Barcelona, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
Virginia Aragon (Co-author)
- Unitat Mixta d’Investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- IRTA Programa de Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
Alex Cobos (Co-author)
- Unitat Mixta d’Investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- IRTA Programa de Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
María Lourdes Abarca (Co-author)
- Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Veterinary Mycology Group, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
Zeinab Yazdi (Co-author)
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
Esteban Soto (Co-author)
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
Mariano Domingo (Co-author)
- Servei de Diagnòstic de Patologia Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Unitat Mixta d’Investigació IRTA-UAB en Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- IRTA Programa de Sanitat Animal, Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA), Campus de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
- Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain