Crassicaudiasis in three geographically and chronologically distant Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) stranded off Brazil.

The Cuvier's beaked whale (CBW; Ziphius cavirostris) is a cosmopolitan marine mammal found in deep tropical and temperate waters of all oceans. CBW strandings have been recorded sporadically in Brazil; however, there is lack of information available regarding their causes of stranding and/or death. Herein, we report the epidemiologic, pathologic, morphologic parasitologic features and molecular identification of arterial and renal crassicaudiasis by Crassicauda sp. in three geographically and chronologically distant CBW stranded off Brazil. CBW-1 was an adult male stranded dead in Rio Grande do Sul State. CBW-2 was an adult female that stranded alive in Sergipe State and died shortly after. CBW-3 was and adult male that stranded dead in Santa Catarina State. The most relevant pathologic findings in these three CBW were severe, chronic proliferative mesenteric and caudal aortic endarteritis and chronic granulomatous and fibrosing interstitial nephritis with renicular atrophy and loss, and numerous intralesional Crassicauda sp. nematodes. Furthermore, CBW-1 had concomitant gram-negative bacterial pneumonia and pulmonary and hepatic thromboembolism. Morphologic analysis of renal adult nematodes identified Crassicauda sp. in the three CBW. Molecular analyses targeting the 18S and ITS-2 ribosomal loci of renal nematodes in CBW-2 and CBW-3 identified C. anthonyi. It is believed that severe arterial and renal crassicaudiasis likely resulted or contributed significantly to morbidity and death of these animals. These results expand the known geographical range of occurrence of crassicaudiasis in CBW. Specifically, the present study provides the first accounts of arterial and renal crassicaudiasis in CBW off the southern hemisphere, specifically in CBW off Brazil, and to the authors' knowledge, it is the first record of C. anthonyi in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

Cytology reveals diverse cell morphotypes and cellin-cell interactions in normal collector sea urchins Tripneustes gratilla.

Echinoderms such as sea urchins are important in marine ecosystems, particularly as grazers, and unhealthy sea urchins can have important ecological implications. For instance, unexplained mortalities of Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean were followed by algal overgrowth and subsequent collapse of coral reef ecosystems. Unfortunately, few tools exist to evaluate echinoderm health, making management of mortalities or other health issues problematic. Hematology is often used to assess health in many animal groups, including invertebrates, but is seldom applied to echinoderms. We used a standard gravitometric technique to concentrate fixed coelomocytes from the collector sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla onto microscope slides, permitting staining and enumeration. Using Romanowsky stain and electron microscopy to visualize cell details, we found that urchin cells could be partitioned into different morphotypes. Specifically, we enumerated phagocytes, phagocytes with perinuclear cytoplasmic dots, vibratile cells, colorless spherule cells, red spherule cells, and red spherule cells with pink granules. We also saw cell-in-cell interactions characterized by phagocytes apparently phagocytizing mainly the motile cells including red spherule cells, colorless spherule cells, and vibratile cells disproportionate to underlying populations of circulating cells. Cell-in-cell interactions were seen in 71% of sea urchins, but comprised <1% of circulating cells. Finally, about 40% of sea urchins had circulating phagocytes that were apparently phagocytizing spicules. The coelomic fluid collection and slide preparation methods described here are simple, field portable, and might be a useful complementary tool for assessing health of other marine invertebrates, revealing heretofore unknown physiological phenomena in this animal group.

Causes of mortality of seabirds stranded at the Northeastern coast of Brazil / Causas de mortalidade de aves marinhas encalhadas na costa do Nordeste do Brasil

The aim of this work was to determine the main species of stranded seabirds at the Northeastern coast of Brazil in addition to the most frequent causes of stranding and mortality. The study was conducted in a monitored area for three years (2012-2014), from the coastline of south Alagoas through north coast of Bahia encompassing 254km of coast. The seabirds found alive during the monitoring were sent to rehabilitation, clinically examined and the carcasses were removed, necropsied and histopathologically analyzed. A total of 1.347 seabirds were found stranded. Of these, 378 were found alive and sent to rehabilitation. From the 969 dead seabirds 806 were unsuitable for necropsy, being only 163 submitted to necropsy and histopathological analysis. Calonectris borealis, Puffinus gravis and Puffinus puffinus were the main seabirds stranded in the studied area. Most stranding occurred from March to June with an increase during April and May for the most species of seabirds. The main clinical signs of stranded seabirds consisted of inappetence, apathy, low body score, hypothermia, flying or movement difficulty and prolonged recumbency. Natural causes followed by infectious diseases and anthropogenic environmental factors were the main causes of death of seabirds stranded on the Northeastern coast of Brazil.(AU)

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar as principais espécies de aves marinhas encalhadas na costa do Nordeste do Brasil, bem como as mais frequentes causas de encalhe e mortalidade. O estudo foi desenvolvido em área monitorada durante três anos (2012-2014), entre o litoral sul de Alagoas e o litoral norte da Bahia, perfazendo um total de 254km de extensão da costa. As aves encontradas vivas foram encaminhadas para reabilitação e examinadas clinicamente; as carcaças foram removidas, necropsiadas e os órgãos foram analisados por meio da histopatologia. Um total de 1.347 aves foi encontrado, encalhadas. Dessas, 378 estavam vivas e foram encaminhadas para a reabilitação. Das 969 aves marinhas mortas, 806 estavam impróprias para realização de necropsia, sendo apenas 163 submetidas à necropsia e análise histopatológica. Calonectris borealis, Puffinus gravis e Puffinus puffinus foram as principais espécies encontradas na área estudada. A maioria dos encalhes para grande parte das aves marinhas ocorreram de março a junho, com um aumento durante abril e maio. Os principais sinais clínicos das aves marinhas consistiram em inapetência, apatia, baixo escore corporal, hipotermia, dificuldade de voo ou movimento e decúbito prolongado. Causas naturais, seguidas de doenças infecciosas e fatores antropogênicos, foram as principais causas de mortes de aves marinhas encalhadas na costa do Nordeste do Brasil.(AU)