A young male striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) found dead in November 2009 had a chronic, bilateral, multifocal, non-suppurative meningo-encephalitis, characterized by prominent perivascular mononuclear cell cuffs, neuronal degeneration, nodular and diffuse microgliosis, astrogliosis/astrocytosis, neuronophagia, and occasional multinucleate syncytia.Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the brain were positive for Morbillivirus at the level of diencephalon, mesencephalon, pons, and medulla oblongata, with the cerebellum, lung, spleen, pulmonary and mesenteric lymph nodes being negative. Viral antigen was detected in neurons and, to a lesser extent, in astrocytes. A low neutralizing antibody titer (1:10) against Morbillivirus was also found, with no simultaneous presence of serum antibodies to Brucella spp. or Toxoplasma gondii. Furthermore, no pathogenic bacteria were isolated from any tissue. This is the second report of morbilliviral encephalitis in a striped dolphin stranded along the Italian coastline within the past 18 years. These 2 cases were found more than 10 years after the last report of morbillivirus infection in dolphins. This case is unusual in that only the brain from this very young animal was positive for morbillivirus. The animal may have acquired the infection either postnatally or transplacentally.[...]

MORBILLIVIRAL ENCEPHALITIS IN A STRIPED DOLPHIN (STENELLA COERULEAOALBA) CALF STRANDED ON THE ITALIAN COASTLINE

DI GUARDO, Giovanni;DI FRANCESCO, Cristina Esmeralda;
2011-01-01

Abstract

A young male striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) found dead in November 2009 had a chronic, bilateral, multifocal, non-suppurative meningo-encephalitis, characterized by prominent perivascular mononuclear cell cuffs, neuronal degeneration, nodular and diffuse microgliosis, astrogliosis/astrocytosis, neuronophagia, and occasional multinucleate syncytia.Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the brain were positive for Morbillivirus at the level of diencephalon, mesencephalon, pons, and medulla oblongata, with the cerebellum, lung, spleen, pulmonary and mesenteric lymph nodes being negative. Viral antigen was detected in neurons and, to a lesser extent, in astrocytes. A low neutralizing antibody titer (1:10) against Morbillivirus was also found, with no simultaneous presence of serum antibodies to Brucella spp. or Toxoplasma gondii. Furthermore, no pathogenic bacteria were isolated from any tissue. This is the second report of morbilliviral encephalitis in a striped dolphin stranded along the Italian coastline within the past 18 years. These 2 cases were found more than 10 years after the last report of morbillivirus infection in dolphins. This case is unusual in that only the brain from this very young animal was positive for morbillivirus. The animal may have acquired the infection either postnatally or transplacentally.[...]
2011
File in questo prodotto:
Non ci sono file associati a questo prodotto.

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11575/13322
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact