Biochemical and molecular biomarkers in integument biopsies of free-ranging coastal bottlenose dolphins from southern Brazil.

Adverse effects of exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) threaten the maintenance of odontocete populations. In southern Brazil, coastal bottlenose dolphins from the Laguna Estuarine System (LES) and Patos Lagoon Estuary (PLE) were sampled using remote biopsies during the winter and summer months. Levels of bioaccumulated POPs were measured in the blubber. The activities of glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were also quantified, as were the mRNA transcript levels of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), AhR nuclear translocator (ARNT), cytochrome P450 1A1-like (CYP1A1), metallothionein 2A (MT2A), GST-π, GPx-4, GR, interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1α), and major histocompatibility complex II (MHCII) in the skin. In general, levels of POPs were similar among sites, sexes, ages and seasons. For most animals, total polychlorinated biphenyl (ΣPCBs) levels were above the threshold level have physiological effects and pose risks to cetaceans. The best-fitting generalized linear models (GLMs) found significant associations between GR, IL-1α and GPx-4 transcript levels, SOD and GST activities, and total polybrominated diphenyl ether (ΣPBDEs) and pesticide levels. GLMs and Kruskal-Wallis analyses also indicated that there were higher transcript levels for most genes and lower GST activity in the winter. These results reinforce the need to consider the influence of environmental traits on biomarker values in wildlife assessments.

Novel and highly sensitive SYBR® Green real-time pcr for poxvirus detection in odontocete cetaceans.

Poxviruses are emerging pathogens in cetaceans, temporarily named 'Cetaceanpoxvirus' (CePV, family Poxviridae), classified into two main lineages: CePV-1 in odontocetes and CePV-2 in mysticetes. Only a few studies performed the molecular detection of CePVs, based on DNA-polymerase gene and/or DNA-topoisomerase I gene amplification. Herein we describe a new real-time PCR assay based on SYBR® Green and a new primer set to detect a 150 bp fragment of CePV DNA-polymerase gene, also effective for conventional PCR detection. The novel real-time PCR was able to detect 5 up to 5 × 106 copies per reaction of a cloned positive control. Both novel PCR methods were 1000 to 100,000-fold more sensitive than those previously described in the literature. Samples of characteristic poxvirus skin lesions ('tattoo') from one Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), two striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) and two Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) were all positive to both our novel real time- and conventional PCR methods, even though three of these animals (a Risso's dolphin, a striped dolphin, and a Guiana dolphin) were previously negative to the conventional PCRs previously available. To our knowledge, this is the first real-time PCR detection method for Cetaceanpoxvirus, a much more sensitive tool for the detection of CePV-1 infections.

Lacaziosis-like disease in Tursiops truncatus from Brazil: a histopathological and immunohistochemical approach.

Cetacean lacaziosis-like disease or lobomycosis-like disease (LLD) is a chronic skin condition caused by a non-cultivable yeast of the order Onygenales, which also includes Lacazia loboi, as well as Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and P. lutzii, respectively responsible for lacaziosis and paracoccidioidomycosis in humans. Complete identification and phylogenetic classification of the LLD etiological agent still needs to be elucidated, but preliminary phylogenetic analyses have shown a closer relationship of the LLD agent to Paracoccidioides spp. than to L. loboi. Cases of LLD in South American cetaceans based on photographic identification have been reported; however, to date, only 3 histologically confirmed cases of LLD have been described. We evaluated multiple tissue samples from 4 Tursiops truncatus stranded in the states of Santa Catarina (n = 3) and Rio Grande do Sul (n = 1), southern Brazil. Macroscopically, all animals presented lesions consistent with LLD. Hematoxylin-eosin, periodic acid-Schiff, Grocott's methenamine silver, and Mayer's mucicarmin stains were used for histological evaluation. Microscopically, numerous refractile yeasts (4-9 µm in diameter) were observed in skin samples (4/4), and for the first time in dolphins, also in a skeletal muscle abscess (1/4). Immunohistochemistry using anti-P. brasiliensis glycoprotein gp43 as a primary antibody, which is known to cross-react with L. loboi and the LLD agent, was performed and results were positive in all 4 cases. We describe 3 new cases of LLD in cetaceans based on histopathology and immunohistochemistry. This is the first report of LLD in the muscle of cetaceans.

Notas sobre a distribuição, tamanho de grupo e comportamento do golfinho Tursiops truncatus (Cetacea: Delphinidae) na Ilha de Santa Catarina, sul do Brasil / Notes on the distribution, group size and behavior of the bottlenose dolphin,Tursiops truncatus(Cetacea: Delphinidae) in the coast of the Island of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil

A ecologia do golfinho-nariz-de-garrafa (Tursiops truncatus) é pouco documentada no Brasil. O objetivo deste trabalho é fornecer dados sobre a distribuição, tamanho de grupo e comportamento de T. truncatus a partir de avistagens oportunistas realizadas nas adjacências da Ilha de Santa Catarina, sul do Brasil. Em cada observação de grupos da espécie foram registrados: localidade, data e hora, tamanho de grupo e comportamento. Foram observados 71 grupos entre 1989 e 2005, em todos os meses do ano. A espécie foi observada em toda região costeira da Ilha de Santa Catarina, utilizando uma grande variedade de hábitats. O tamanho de grupo variou entre 1 e 200 indivíduos, com uma média de aproximadamente 8 indivíduos (moda = 2). Interações com pelo menos três espécies de aves marinhas também foram observadas, além de outros comportamentos. Os dados obtidos sugerem que a espécie é comum ao longo da costa da Ilha de Santa Catarina, possui uma grande plasticidade no uso de hábitats, além de um conjunto variado de comportamentos.

The ecology of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is scarcely documented in Brazil. The objective of this article is to present information about the distribution, group size and behavior of T. truncatus collected oportunistically around the Island of Santa Catarina. Locality, date and time, group size and behavior were registered after each opportunistic sighting. Seventy-one groups were observed between 1989 and 2005, in all months of the year. The species was sighted along all the coast of the island, using a great variety of habitats including protected bays and exposed beaches. Group size varied from 1 to 200 individuals, with a mean group size of approximately 8 individuals (mode = 2). Interactions with three species of sea birds were also documented. Data presented here suggest that the species is common around the Island of Santa Catarina, has a great plasticity in habitat use, and a varied behavior repertoire.