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Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

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DAO 132:1-11 (2018)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03312

Survey of Brucella spp. and Leptospira spp. antibodies in cetaceans and manatees of the Amazon basin and Atlantic Ocean, Brazil

Angélica M. Sánchez-Sarmiento1,*, Vitor L. Carvalho2, Ana C. O. Meirelles2, Waleska Gravena3,4, Juliana Marigo1, Carlos Sacristán1, Samira Costa-Silva1, Katia R. Groch1, Nairléia dos Santos Silva5, José Soares Ferreira Neto5, José L. Catão-Dias1

1Laboratório de Patologia Comparada de Animais Selvagens, Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Professor Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, 05508-270 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2Associação de Pesquisa e Preservação de Ecossistemas Aquáticos-AQUASIS, Avenida José Alencar 150, Praia de Iparana, 61627-210 Caucaia, CE, Brazil
3Instituto de Saúde e Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Estrada Coari Mamiá 305, Bairro: Espirito santo, 69460-000 Coari, AM, Brazil
4Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Avenida Andre Araujo 2936, 69011-970 Manaus, AM, Brazil
5Laboratório de Zoonoses Bacterianas, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Professor Dr. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, 05508-270 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
*Corresponding author:

ABSTRACT: Aquatic mammals can act as sentinels of emerging and resurging pathogens in the environment. Brucella spp. and Leptospira spp. are 2 zoonotic pathogens relevant to aquatic mammals, and their detection can be used to assess pathogen exposure. In this study, serum from 84 individuals—63 cetaceans (families Iniidae, n = 37; Delphinidae, n = 22; and Kogiidae, n = 4) and 21 West Indian manatees Trichechus manatus—was tested by the Rose Bengal Test (RBT) and a commercial competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) for detecting Brucella spp. antibodies, and the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for screening Leptospira spp. exposure. Overall, 4.8% (3/63) of cetaceans were positive by RBT and 15.9% (10/63) by c-ELISA for Brucella spp. Serum from 8 c-ELISA positive cetaceans (with available serum) was further tested via serum agglutination test (SAT) and 1 individual was positive. c-ELISA was more sensitive than RBT. Exposure to Brucella spp. was found in 5 cetacean species: Clymene dolphin Stenella clymene, short-finned pilot whale Globicephala macrorhynchus, pygmy killer whale Feresa attenuata, melon-headed whale Peponocephala electra and Atlantic bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus in the Atlantic Ocean, Brazil, expanding the range of known Brucella seropositive aquatic hosts. No evidence of Brucella spp. exposure was found in Iniidae and Kogiidae odontocetes and manatees. Antibodies against Leptospira spp. were not detected in cetaceans and sirenians by MAT. These results contribute to the evaluation of different Brucella spp. serological methods in cetaceans and manatees and highlight the epidemiology of zoonotic pathogens in aquatic mammals of the southwestern Atlantic Ocean and the Amazon basin.


KEY WORDS: Aquatic mammals · Competitive ELISA · Microscopic agglutination test · Rose Bengal test · Serum agglutination test


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Cite this article as: Sánchez-Sarmiento AM, Carvalho VL, Meirelles ACO, Gravena W and others (2018) Survey of Brucella spp. and Leptospira spp. antibodies in cetaceans and manatees of the Amazon basin and Atlantic Ocean, Brazil. Dis Aquat Org 132:1-11. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03312

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