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New insights into the pathogenesis and transmission of Brucella pinnipedialis: systemic infection in two bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Investigation article published in Microbiology Spectrum

October 6th, 2023

The emergence of Brucella infections in marine mammals is a growing concern. The present study reports two cases of systemic Brucella pinnipedialis infection detected in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) pair stranded together in the Cantabrian coast of Spain. Both animals showed systemic lesions associated with the Brucella infection, more severe in the younger dolphin, considered the likely offspring of the other individual. Real-time PCR, bacterial culture, and whole-genome sequencing were used to detect and characterize the Brucella strains involved in both dolphins. The phylogenetic analysis performed on the Brucella genomes retrieved revealed that the species involved was B. pinnipedialis (ST25). Both animals resulted seropositive in a commercial multispecies blocking ELISA but tested negative in the standard Rose Bengal test. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a systemic infection resulting in various lesions associated with Brucella pinnipedialis (ST25) in two bottlenose dolphins. It is also the initial isolation of Brucella in the milk of a non-pregnant or non-aborting female cetacean likely stranded with its offspring. These findings provide new insights into the epidemiology and clinical impact of B. pinnipedialis infection in cetaceans and underscore the importance of continued diagnostic surveillance to gain better understanding of brucellosis effects and transmission in marine mammal populations. IMPORTANCE Brucella spp. are zoonotic pathogens that can affect both terrestrial and marine mammals. Brucella ceti has been identified in various cetacean species, but only one sequence type (ST27) has been reported in humans. However, it is important to conduct surveillance studies to better understand the impact of marine Brucella species on marine mammals, a typically understudied host group. Here, we describe a systemic infection by two related strains of Brucella pinnipedialis (ST25) in a couple of live-stranded bottlenose dolphins, with more severe lesions in the younger animal. Furthermore, B. pinnipedialis was first detected in milk from a female cetacean that stranded with its offspring. Our study reveals novel insights into the epidemiology and pathological consequences of B. pinnipedialis infections in cetaceans, emphasizing the crucial importance of ongoing surveillance and accurate diagnosis to understand the impact of this pathogen on marine mammal populations




Vargas-Castro I., Crespo-Picazo JL., Fayos M., Jimenez-Martinez MA., Torre-Fuentes L., Alvarez J., Moura AE., Hernandez M., Buendia A., Barroso-Arevalo S., Garcia-Seco T., Perez-Sancho M., de Miguel MJ., Andres-Barranco S., Marco-Cabedo V., Penin-Villahoz G., Munoz PM., Dominguez L., Garcia-Parraga D. and Sanchez-Vizcaino JM..




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New insights into the pathogenesis and transmission of Brucella pinnipedialis: systemic infection in two bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

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New insights into the pathogenesis and transmission of Brucella pinnipedialis: systemic infection in two bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)



Participants:

Universidad ComplutenseServicio de Inmunología Viral y Medicina Preventiva (SUAT). Servicio de Identificación y Caracterización Microbiana (ICM). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM).

Generalitat ValencianaOceanogràfic. Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. Generalitat Valenciana.

Gobierno de CantabriaCentro de Recuperación de Fauna Silvestre de Cantabria. Gobierno de Cantabria.

Universidad ComplutenseDepartamento de Medicina y Cirugía Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM).

Museum and Institute of Zoology. Polish Academy of Sciences.

Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y LeónLaboratorio de Biología Molecular y Microbiología. Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL).

Gobierno de AragónDepartamento de Agricultura, Ganadería y Medio Ambiente. Gobierno de Aragón.

Universidad de ZaragozaInstituto Universitario de Investigación Mixto Agroalimentario de Aragón (IA2). Universidad de Zaragoza (UNIZAR).







Microbiology Spectrum
FACTOR YEAR Q
3.700 2023

PMID: 37800951

ISSN: 21650497



TITLE: New insights into the pathogenesis and transmission of Brucella pinnipedialis: systemic infection in two bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)


JOURNAL: Microbiol Spectr


NUMERACIÓN: e0199723


AÑO: 2023


PUBLISHER: American Society for Microbiology


AUTHORS: Vargas-Castro I., Crespo-Picazo JL., Fayos M., Jimenez-Martinez MA., Torre-Fuentes L., Alvarez J., Moura AE., Hernandez M., Buendia A., Barroso-Arevalo S., Garcia-Seco T., Perez-Sancho M., de Miguel MJ., Andres-Barranco S., Marco-Cabedo V., Penin-Villahoz G., Munoz PM., Dominguez L., Garcia-Parraga D. and Sanchez-Vizcaino JM..


First
Ignacio Vargas Castro
5th
Laura Torre Fuentes
6th
Julio Álvarez Sánchez
9th
Aránzazu Buendía Andrés
10
Sandra Barroso Arévalo
11th
María Teresa García-Seco Romero
12th
Marta Pérez Sancho
18th
Lucas Domínguez Rodríguez
Last
José Manuel Sánchez-Vizcaíno Rodríguez

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.01997-23


CITE THIS PUBLICATION:

Vargas-Castro I., Crespo-Picazo JL., Fayos M., Jimenez-Martinez MA., Torre-Fuentes L., Alvarez J., Moura AE., Hernandez M., Buendia A., Barroso-Arevalo S., Garcia-Seco T., Perez-Sancho M., de Miguel MJ., Andres-Barranco S., Marco-Cabedo V., Penin-Villahoz G., Munoz PM., Dominguez L., Garcia-Parraga D. and Sanchez-Vizcaino JM. New insights into the pathogenesis and transmission of Brucella pinnipedialis: systemic infection in two bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Microbiology Spectrum. e0199723. 2023. (A). ISSN: 21650497. DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01997-23


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