title: Cerebral toxoplasmosis in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded along the Ligurian Sea coast of Italy.
abstract: This article reports the results of necropsy, parasitologic, microbiologic, histopathologic, immunohistochemical, indirect immunofluorescence, biomolecular, and serologic investigations on 8 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) found stranded from August to December 2007 on the Ligurian Sea coast of Italy. Severe, nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis was found in 4 animals, as characterized by prominent perivascular mononuclear cell cuffing and macrophage accumulations in neuropil. These lesions were associated with mild lymphocytic-plasmacytic infiltration of choroid plexuses in 1 dolphin. Toxoplasma gondii cysts and zoites, confirmed by immunohistochemical labeling, were scattered throughout the brain parenchyma of 2 of the 4 dolphins. No viral inclusions were seen in the brain of any animal. Other findings included severe bronchointerstitial pneumonia and pulmonary atelectasis, consolidation, and emphysema. Parasites were identified in a variety of organs, including lung (Halocerchus lagenorhynchi). Microbiologic and serologic examinations for Brucella spp were negative on all 8 dolphins. The 4 animals with meningoencephalitis had serum antibodies against T gondii (titers ranging from 1:80 to 1:320) but not against morbillivirus. In contrast, the other 4 dolphins were seropositive for morbillivirus (with titers ranging from 1:10 to 1:40) but seronegative for T gondii. No morbillivirus antigen or nucleic acid was detected in the tissues of any dolphin. It is concluded that the severe lung and brain lesions were the cause of death and that T gondii was the likely etiologic agent of the cerebral lesions. Morbillivirus infection was not considered to have contributed to death of these animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy. gdiguardo@unite.it
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Guardo
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Proietto
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Di Francesco
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marsilio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaccaroni
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scaravelli
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mignone
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Garibaldi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Iulini
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bozzetta
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Casalone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000469:parasitology; D020808:Central Nervous System Protozoal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004289:Dolphins / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / Q000662:veterinary; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008168:Lung / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D009500:Neutralization Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D016781:Toxoplasmosis, Cerebral / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D016053:RNA, Protozoan