In recent years, an increase in the number of stranded cetaceans has been observed. In order to give a contribution to the knowledge of the parasite fauna of stranded dolphins, in the period between February 2013 and July 2015, 10 Tursiops truncatus, 15 Stenella coeruleoalba, 1 Grampus griseus stranded along the coast of Tuscany (Pelagos Sanctuary) were screened for the search of parasites. All organs and faecal samples were examined with parasitological techniques. Immunological and molecular techniques were used for the search of Toxoplasma gondii on serum and brain tissue samples, respectively, and for Giardia and Cryptosporidium on faecal samples. The prevalence of parasites and the corresponding confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated and data were statistically analysed (p <0.05). Twenty-one out of 26 examined animals (80%) tested positive for of at least one parasitic species. Specifically, 86% (13/15) S. coeruleoalba, 70% (7/10) T. truncatus and the single G. griseus were found positive. Skrjabinalius guevarai (7.7%, 2/26), Halocercus lagenorhynchi (3.8%, 1/26), Halocercus delphini (7.7%, 2/26), Stenurus ovatus (7.7%, 2/26), Pholeter gastrophilus (26.9%, 7/26), Campula palliata (3.8%, 1/26), Bolbosoma vasculosum (7.7%, 2/26), Phyllobothrium delphini (42.3, 11/26), Monorygma grimaldii (23.9%, 6/26), Tetrabothrius forsteri (7.7%, 2/26), Strobilocephalus triangularis (7.7%, 2/26) were the identified parasite species. Moreover, 6 out of 26 (23.1%) dolphins serologically examined for T. gondii were found positive, but PCR confirmed the presence of the parasite in the brain of a single animal. At statistical analysis, parasitological prevalence and seropositivity to T. gondii were not significantly different between T. truncatus and S. coeruleoalba. The high prevalence of endoparasitic infections in the subjects herein examined and the isolation of parasitic species considered as a cause of severe debilitation or death, highlight the importance of parasite monitoring in investigations aimed to evaluate the health status of dolphins in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

PARASITES OF DOLPHINS STRANDED ALONG THE COAST OF TUSCANY (ITALY)

RICCI, ENRICA;PERRUCCI, STEFANIA
2016-01-01

Abstract

In recent years, an increase in the number of stranded cetaceans has been observed. In order to give a contribution to the knowledge of the parasite fauna of stranded dolphins, in the period between February 2013 and July 2015, 10 Tursiops truncatus, 15 Stenella coeruleoalba, 1 Grampus griseus stranded along the coast of Tuscany (Pelagos Sanctuary) were screened for the search of parasites. All organs and faecal samples were examined with parasitological techniques. Immunological and molecular techniques were used for the search of Toxoplasma gondii on serum and brain tissue samples, respectively, and for Giardia and Cryptosporidium on faecal samples. The prevalence of parasites and the corresponding confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated and data were statistically analysed (p <0.05). Twenty-one out of 26 examined animals (80%) tested positive for of at least one parasitic species. Specifically, 86% (13/15) S. coeruleoalba, 70% (7/10) T. truncatus and the single G. griseus were found positive. Skrjabinalius guevarai (7.7%, 2/26), Halocercus lagenorhynchi (3.8%, 1/26), Halocercus delphini (7.7%, 2/26), Stenurus ovatus (7.7%, 2/26), Pholeter gastrophilus (26.9%, 7/26), Campula palliata (3.8%, 1/26), Bolbosoma vasculosum (7.7%, 2/26), Phyllobothrium delphini (42.3, 11/26), Monorygma grimaldii (23.9%, 6/26), Tetrabothrius forsteri (7.7%, 2/26), Strobilocephalus triangularis (7.7%, 2/26) were the identified parasite species. Moreover, 6 out of 26 (23.1%) dolphins serologically examined for T. gondii were found positive, but PCR confirmed the presence of the parasite in the brain of a single animal. At statistical analysis, parasitological prevalence and seropositivity to T. gondii were not significantly different between T. truncatus and S. coeruleoalba. The high prevalence of endoparasitic infections in the subjects herein examined and the isolation of parasitic species considered as a cause of severe debilitation or death, highlight the importance of parasite monitoring in investigations aimed to evaluate the health status of dolphins in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11568/821022
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