title: Unusual striped dolphin mass mortality episode related to cetacean morbillivirus in the Spanish Mediterranean sea.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the last 20 years, Cetacean Morbillivirus (CeMV) has been responsible for many die-offs in marine mammals worldwide, as clearly exemplified by the two dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) epizootics of 1990-1992 and 2006-2008, which affected Mediterranean striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). Between March and April 2011, the number of strandings on the Valencian Community coast (E Spain) increased.
  
  
  METHODS
  Necropsy and sample collection were performed in all stranded animals, with good state of conservation. Subsequently, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, conventional reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Universal Probe Library (UPL) RT-PCR assays were performed to identify Morbillivirus. Gross and microscopic findings compatible with CeMV were found in the majority of analyzed animals. Immunopositivity in the brain and UPL RT-PCR positivity in seven of the nine analyzed animals in at least two tissues confirmed CeMV systemic infection. Phylogenetic analysis, based on sequencing part of the phosphoprotein gene, showed that this isolate is a closely related dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) to that responsible for the 2006-2008 epizootics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of gross and histopathologic findings compatible with DMV with immunopositivity and molecular detection of DMV suggests that this DMV strain could cause this die-off event.
authors.forename: Consuelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rubio-Guerri
authors.forename: Mar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Melero
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Esperón
authors.forename: Edwige Nina
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Bellière
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arbelo
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Crespo
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sierra
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: García-Párraga
authors.forename: Jose Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Vizcaíno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000662:veterinary; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018103:Morbillivirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018185:Morbillivirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013030:Spain; D050706:Stenella / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D010750:Phosphoproteins; D012367:RNA, Viral