Immunohistological and serological investigations of morbillivirus infection in Black Sea harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena).

In the present study the occurrence of morbillivirus infection in harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from the Black Sea was investigated. Blood and tissue specimens of lung, brain and spleen from 73 stranded or by-caught harbour porpoises derived from the three Black Sea subregions such as Bulgaria, Georgia and Ukraine were collected between 1997 and 1999 and processed for histology, immunohistochemistry and serology. Age determination was performed according to dental growth layers and body length. The age of the investigated population ranged from neonates to a 12-year-old animal. Morbillivirus-specific neutralizing antibodies were detected in 53% of harbour porpoises. Generally, titres were very low and ranged from 20 to 270. There was no correlation between age, geographical origin and titre levels. The most common histological finding (97%) consisted of a mild to severe granulomatous bronchopneumonia due to lung worm infection. There were no changes indicative of a morbillivirus infection. Using immunohistology none of the animals were positive for morbillivirus antigen. However, the serological data are suggestive of a continuously circulating morbillivirus among harbour porpoises from the Black Sea indicating that harbour porpoises may serve as carriers for fatal diseases in susceptible cetacean species.

Total and organic mercury in the Black Sea harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena relicta.

This paper reports on mercury (Hg) concentrations in different tissues (liver, muscle, kidney, blubber and brain) of harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena found dead in the Black Sea between 1997 and 1999, mainly bycaught in fishing nets (n = 79). Total Hg and organic Hg (MeHg) were determined. The main factor affecting Hg accumulation was, as expected, age, with MeHg concentration increasing with age. Accumulation of high concentrations of inorganic Hg in the liver was probably due to a slow demethylation process implying the formation of tiemannite (HgSe). In older adults, liver concentrations reached 35 microg g(-1) dry weight ('ppm') total Hg and 3 microg g(-1) dw MeHg. A geographical comparison with existing data from other regions showed a generally low Hg contamination of Black Sea porpoises, one order of magnitude lower than, e.g. in the North Sea.