Congenital Diseases in Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina richardsii) from the Salish Sea.
J Wildl Dis
; 57(3): 672-677, 2021 07 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34015807
ABSTRACT
Postmortem data for harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardsii) in the Salish Sea were analyzed for epidemiologic trends in congenital diseases. Cleft palate, cleft lips, or both (n=8) and cardiac defects (n=5) were the most common congenital abnormalities, followed by cases with multiple defects (n=4). No temporal trends or spatial clusters of cases were seen from 2003 to 2019, during which time monitoring effort was consistent. Cases could not be linked to specific causes such as environmental contamination or maternal malnutrition. Our study suggests that a yearly prevalence of 2.9%±2.2 is the endemic level of congenital disease in this stable harbor seal population. Continued monitoring of birth defects and overall harbor seal population status could help to identify emerging teratogens.
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Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Phoca
Tipo de estudo:
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article