RT Journal Article
T1 Evidence for Unknown Sarcocystis-Like Infection in Stranded Striped Dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from the Ligurian Sea, Italy
A1 Giorda, Federica
A1 Romani Cremaschi, Umberto
A1 Marsh, Antoinette E.
A1 Grattarola, Carla
A1 Iulini, Barbara
A1 Pautasso, Alessandra
A1 Varello, Katia
A1 Berio, Enrica
A1 Gazzuola, Paola
A1 Marsili, Letizia
A1 Di Francesco, Cristina E.
A1 Goria, Maria
A1 Verna, Federica
A1 Audino, Tania
A1 Peletto, Simone
A1 Caramelli, Maria
A1 Fernández Escobar, Mercedes
A1 Sierra, Eva
A1 Fernández, Antonio
A1 Calero Bernal, Rafael
A1 Casalone, Cristina
AB Two striped dolphins (SD1, SD2), stranded along the Ligurian coast of Italy, were diagnosed with a nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis associated with previously undescribed protozoan tissue cysts. As tissue cysts were morphologically different from those of Toxoplasma gondii, additional histopathological, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and biomolecular investigations were performed, aiming to fully characterize the organism. Histopathology revealed the presence of large Sarcocystis-like tissue cysts, associated with limited inflammatory lesions in all CNS areas studied. IHC was inconclusive, as positive staining with polyclonal antisera did not preclude cross-reaction with other Sarcocystidae coccidia. Applied to each animal, 11 different PCR protocols precluded a neural infection by Sarcocystis neurona, Sarcocystis falcatula, Hammondia hammondi, and Neospora caninum. T. gondii coinfection was confirmed only in dolphin SD2. Sarcocystis sp. sequences, showing the highest homology to species infecting the Bovidae family, were amplified from SD1 myocardium and SD2 skeletal muscle. The present study represents the first report of Sarcocystis-like tissue cysts in the brain of stranded cetaceans along with the first description of Sarcocystis sp. infection in muscle tissue of dolphins from the Mediterranean basin.
PB MPDI
SN 2076-2615
YR 2021
FD 2021-04-22
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/7379
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/7379
LA eng
NO Italian Ministry of Health
DS Docta Complutense
RD 21 abr 2025