title: Epidemiological pattern of tattoo skin disease: a potential general health indicator for cetaceans.
abstract: The presence of tattoo skin disease (TSD) was examined in 1392 free-ranging and dead odontocetes comprising 17 species from the Americas, Europe, South Africa, New Zealand and Greenland. We investigated whether TSD prevalence varied with sex, age and health status. TSD was encountered in cetaceans from the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans as well as in those from the North, Mediterranean and Tasman Seas. No clear patterns related to geography and host phylogeny were detected, except that prevalence of TSD in juveniles and, in 2 species (dusky dolphin Lagenorhynchus obscurus and Burmeister's porpoise Phocoena spinipinnis), in adults was remarkably high in samples from Peru. Environmental factors and virus properties may be responsible for this finding. Sex did not significantly influence TSD prevalence except in the case of Peruvian P. spinipinnis. Generally, there was a pattern of TSD increase in juveniles compared to calves, attributed to the loss of maternal immunity. Also, in most samples, juveniles seemed to have a higher probability of suffering TSD than adults, presumably because more adults had acquired active immunity following infection. This holo-endemic pattern was inverted in poor health short-beaked common dolphins Delphinus delphis and harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena from the British Isles, and in Chilean dolphins Cephalorhynchus eutropia from Patagonia, where adults showed a higher TSD prevalence than juveniles. Very large tattoos were seen in some adult odontocetes from the SE Pacific, NE Atlantic and Portugal's Sado Estuary, which suggest impaired immune response. The epidemiological pattern of TSD may be an indicator of cetacean population health.
authors.affiliation: Cetacean Conservation Medicine Group, CEPEC, Museo de Delfines, Pucusana, Lima 20, Peru. mfb.cmed@gmail.com
authors.forename: Marie-Françoise
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Van Bressem
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Waerebeek
authors.forename: Francisco Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Aznar
authors.forename: Juan Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Raga
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Jepson
authors.forename: Pádraig
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Duignan
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Deaville
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Flach
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Viddi
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Di Beneditto
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Echegaray
authors.forename: Tilen
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Genovo
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reyes
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Felix
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gaspar
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Vic
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Peddemors
authors.forename: Gian Paolo
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Sanino
authors.forename: Ursula
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Siebert
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D002591:Cetacea / Q000502:physiology*; D018147:Chordopoxvirinae / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D011213:Poxviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology