Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in three common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus); A first description from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
Artículo de investigación publicado en Veterinary Parasitology
15 de julio de 2018
Toxoplasma gondii has been described in several marine mammals around the world including numerous species of cetaceans, yet infection and transmission mechanisms in the marine environment are not clearly defined. The Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center has been collating a database of all marine mammal stranding events along the country’s national coastlines since 1993. In this study, we describe the molecular detection and characterisation of T. gondii in three common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) including one case of coinfection with herpesvirus. The animals were found stranded on the Mediterranean coast of Israel in May and November 2013. In one of the three cases, the dolphin was found alive and admitted to intensive care. To our knowledge, this is the first report of T. gondii infection of marine mammals in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. As this parasite acts as an indicator for marine pollution and marine mammal health, we believe these findings add important information regarding the state of the environment in this region
Bigal E., Morick D., Scheinin AP., Salant H., Berkowitz A., King R., Levy Y., Melero M., Sanchez-Vizcaino JM., Goffman O., Hadar N., Roditi-Elasar M. y Tchernov D.
 | Department of Marine Biology. Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences. University of Haifa. |
| Morris Kahn Marine Research Station. University of Haifa. |
| Department of Maritime Civilizations. Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences. University of Haifa. |
 | Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. |
| Department of Pathology. Kimron Veterinary Institute (KVI). | |
| Israel Nature and Parks Authority. | |
 | Servicio de Inmunología Viral y Medicina Preventiva (SUAT). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
| Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
