@article{5ab42c571e6147ccaaec9b5ce52207b0,
title = "Occurrence of Brucella ceti in stranded bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus coincides with calving season",
abstract = "Brucellosis is a disease caused by the Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium Brucella spp. In terrestrial species, this zoonotic bacterium is a global public health risk, but there is also concern over the zoonotic potential of marine forms, such as B. ceti, which affects cetaceans. Due to the detection of B. ceti in samples from bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus during the 2010−2014 Gulf of Mexico Unusual Mortality Event, a long-term study of the prevalence of Brucella in stranded bottlenose dolphins from South Carolina, USA, was conducted. From 2012 through 2017, 282 stranded bottlenose dolphins were tested for B. ceti via real-time PCR. Nearly 32% of the dolphins tested positive in at least one sample (brain, lung, blowhole swab). Very little information exists in the literature on the occurrence of Brucella spp. in marine mammals, though in terrestrial species, such as cattle and elk, higher prevalence is often reported in spring. Similar results were found in this study with the peak occurrence being between March and June, a known period of calving in South Carolina. Results from this study provide important insights into the occurrence of the marine bacterium B. ceti.",
keywords = "Bottlenose dolphins, Brucella ceti, Brucellosis, Occurrence, Real-time PCR, Temperature",
author = "McFee, {Wayne E.} and David Wu and Kathleen Colegrove and Karen Terio and Len Balthis and Robert Young",
note = "Funding Information: 1National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, Charleston, SC 29412, USA 2JHT, Inc. (under contract to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Hollings Marine Laboratory, Charleston, SC 29412, USA 3Zoological Pathology Program, University of Illinois, Brookfield, IL 60513, USA 4Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC 29528, USA Funding Information: Acknowledgements. The authors acknowledge Dr. Lori Schwacke (National Marine Mammal Foundation) for her support of this project and comments, Andrew Meredith (CSS contractor to National Ocean Service) for initial spatial analysis, Francesca Battaglia (Coastal Carolina University), Thomas Grieg (National Ocean Service), and Michael Janech (College of Charleston) for internal review, and the South Carolina Marine Mammal Stranding Network for stranding response and sample collection. This project was made possible through NOAA{\textquoteright}s authority under Section 109(h) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Funding was provided partially through the National Ocean Service and the National Marine Mammal Foundation. The scientific results and conclusions, as well as any opinions expressed herein, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or the Department of Commerce. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} Inter-Research 2020 ·",
year = "2020",
month = sep,
doi = "10.3354/dao03526",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "141",
pages = "185--193",
journal = "Diseases of Aquatic Organisms",
issn = "0177-5103",
publisher = "Inter-Research",
}