Person:
Vargas Castro, Ignacio

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First Name
Ignacio
Last Name
Vargas Castro
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/85793
Affiliation
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Faculty / Institute
Veterinaria
Department
Sanidad Animal
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2023 - 20243
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    Molecular detection of herpesvirus in a skin lesion of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) from the Western Mediterranean Sea
    (European Journal of Wildlife Research, 2024) Vargas Castro, Ignacio; Crespo-Picazo, José Luis; Jiménez Martínez, María De Los Ángeles; Muñoz-Baquero, Marta; Marco-Cabedo, Vicente; García-Párraga, Daniel; Sánchez-Vizcaíno Rodríguez, José Manuel
    Herpesvirus has the potential to infect a wide variety of animal species. In cetaceans, Alpha- and/or Gammaherpesvirinaehave been identified in eight families of odontocetes, and one family of mysticetes. In May 2022, an adult humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) was found stranded in Valencia, Spain. The whale was emaciated, in poor body condition, with multiple lacerations on the dorsal fin and a high number of epibionts of the Cyamidae family, known as whale lice. The individual had been previously released from a ghost net entanglement 5 days before becoming stranded. In a closer examination, various skin lesions were observed, including chronic, proliferative, and erosive dermatitis and a large ulcer extending to the deep dermis. As part of the infectious disease surveillance programme, molecular testing was performed on skin samples for herpesvirus, cetacean morbillivirus, and poxvirus. A positive result for herpesvirus was obtained from one of the skin lesions. The sequence was found to belong to the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily, and it was closely related to alphaherpesvirus sequences from a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) and a humpback whale. Cetacean morbillivirus and poxvirus testing was negative. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of herpesvirus in a humpback whale from the Mediterranean Sea. Reports on herpesvirus detection or infection in humpback whales (only species within the genus Megaptera) are scarce. In consequence, future virological assessments of humpback whales should include testing for herpesvirus.
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    Histopathology, Immunohistochemical Diagnosis, and Management of Penicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus delphini Cutaneous Infection in a Bottlenose Dolphin
    (Aquatic Mammals, 2023) Romani Cremaschi, Umberto; Rebollada Merino, Agustín Miguel; Canales, Rocío; Vargas Castro, Ignacio; Pérez Sancho, Marta; Sánchez-Vizcaíno Rodríguez, José Manuel; Domínguez Rodríguez, Lucas José; Rodríguez Bertos, Antonio Manuel
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    Epidemiological and genetic analysis of Cetacean Morbillivirus circulating on the Italian coast between 2018 and 2021
    (Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2023) Vargas Castro, Ignacio; Peletto, Simone; Mattioda, Virginia; Goria, Maria; Serracca, Laura; Varello, Katia; Sánchez-Vizcaíno Rodríguez, José Manuel; Puleio, Roberto; Di Nocera, Fabio; Lucifora, Giuseppe; Acutis, Pier Luigi; Casalone, Cristina; Grattarola, Carla; Giorda, Federica
    Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) has caused several outbreaks, unusual mortality events, and interepidemic single-lethal disease episodes in the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2012, a new strain with a northeast (NE) Atlantic origin has been circulating among Mediterranean cetaceans, causing numerous deaths. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of CeMV in cetaceans stranded in Italy between 2018 and 2021 and characterize the strain of CeMV circulating. Out of the 354 stranded cetaceans along the Italian coastlines, 113 were CeMV-positive. This prevalence (31.9%) is one of the highest reported without an associated outbreak. All marine sectors along the Italian coastlines, except for the northern Adriatic coast, reported a positive molecular diagnosis of CeMV. In one-third of the CeMV-positive cetaceans submitted to a histological evaluation, a chronic form of the infection (detectable viral antigen, the absence of associated lesions, and concomitant coinfections) was suspected. Tissues from 24 animals were used to characterize the strain, obtaining 57 sequences from phosphoprotein, nucleocapsid, and fusion protein genes, which were submitted to GenBank. Our sequences showed the highest identity with NE-Atlantic strain sequences, and in the phylogenetic study, they clustered together with them. Regarding age and species, most of these individuals were adults (17/24, 70.83%) and striped dolphins (19/24, 79.16%). This study improves our understanding on the NE-Atlantic CeMV strain in the Italian waters, supporting the hypothesis of an endemic circulation of the virus in this area; however, additional studies are necessary to deeply comprehend the epidemiology of this strain in the Mediterranean Sea.