Cetacean strandings in Italy: an unusual mortality event along the Tyrrhenian Sea coast in 2013.
An unusual mortality event involving cetaceans, mainly striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833), occurred along the Tyrrhenian Sea coast of Italy during the first 3 mo of 2013. Based on post-mortem analyses carried out according to body condition on 66 dolphins (54% of stranded animals), several hypotheses to explain the causes of this mortality event were proposed. Although no definitive conclusions can be drawn, dolphin morbillivirus was deemed the most likely cause, although other infectious agents (including Photobacterium damselae damselae and herpesvirus) or environmental factors may also have contributed to this recent mortality event.
IZS Piemonte Liguria Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna, 148,10154 Torino, Italy.
Cristina
C
Casalone
Sandro
S
Mazzariol
Alessandra
A
Pautasso
Giovanni
G
Di Guardo
Fabio
F
Di Nocera
Giuseppe
G
Lucifora
Ciriaco
C
Ligios
Alessia
A
Franco
Gianluca
G
Fichi
Cristiano
C
Cocumelli
Antonella
A
Cersini
Annalisa
A
Guercio
Roberto
R
Puleio
Maria
M
Goria
Michela
M
Podestà
Letizia
L
Marsili
Gianni
G
Pavan
Antonio
A
Pintore
Esterina
E
De Carlo
Claudia
C
Eleni
Santo
S
Caracappa
D000818:Animals; D002591:Cetacea / Q000821:virology*; D007558:Italy; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D018103:Morbillivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018185:Morbillivirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000662:veterinary; D013997:Time Factors