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Erysipelas in a stranded common bottlenose dolphin: first report in a South American odontocete

  • Veterinary Microbiology - Short Communication
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Abstract

Erysipelas is a zoonotic disease caused by Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. In cetaceans, this disease has two main clinical forms: a cutaneous one, grossly characterized by rhomboid lesions, and a septicemic and often fatal form. Erysipelas is considered an important cause of morbidity and mortality in captive cetaceans; however, information in free-ranging cetaceans is limited. An adult common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) was found dead and in advanced autolysis in Paraíba state, northeastern Brazil, on July 19th, 2020. Upon gross examination, 80% of the body surface presented disseminated rhomboid cutaneous lesions ranging from 4 to 6 cm-width, characterized by well-defined edges and occasional ulceration, consistent with erysipelas. Additionally, anthropic-made postmortem linear cuts and partial mechanical removal of the flank musculature were noted. Skin samples were collected for histopathologic and molecular analyses. Microscopically, it was possible to observe multifocal dermatitis with vasculitis. Erysipelothrix sp. was detected by PCR. Despite previous reports of human consumption of cetacean meat in northeastern Brazil, the observed marks and advanced carcass autolysis suggested that the animal was most likely used as bait for fishing instead of human intake. This case highlights the value of postmortem examination and PCR even in poorly preserved cadavers and contributes to the understanding of the epidemiology of cutaneous erysipelas in free-ranging cetaceans (first report in an odontocete from the Southern Hemisphere). Due to the zoonotic potential of certain Erysipelothrix species (i.e., E. rhusiopathiae), active public health policies are required to inform field professionals and the general public about the health threats associated with marine mammal manipulation and consumption.

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Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in the manuscript.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Environmental Protection Area of the Mamanguape River/ICMBio, Projeto Viva o Peixe-Boi Marinho of the Fundação Mamíferos Aquáticos sponsored by Petrobras through the Petrobras Socioenvironmental Program, and the Manatee Conservation Program of the Fundação Mamíferos Aquáticos in partnership with the Fundação Grupo Boticário de Conservação à Natureza (Boticário Group Foundation for the Conservation of Nature).

Funding

This study was funded by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). C.S. and A.C.E. are recipients of postdoctoral and PhD fellowships by FAPESP (FAPESP 2016/20956–0 and FAPESP 2018/25069–7, respectively). C. S is recipient of a Juan de la Cierva Incorporación (fellowship IJC2020-046019-I). A.M.S.S. is the recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship (PNPD/CAPES). A.D.B. is the recipient of a doctoral fellowship by CNPq (CNPQ # 141868/2019–8). V.A.R thanks CAPES for the master’s degree scholarship. L.B.K. and J.L.C.-D. are the recipients of a professorship by the National Research Council (CNPq) (grants #312036/2018–3 and 304999/2018, respectively).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Ana Carolina Ewbank and Angélica María Sánchez-Sarmiento contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Wildlife Comparative Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, 05508-270, São Paulo, Brazil

    Carlos Sacristán, Ana Carolina Ewbank, Angélica María Sánchez-Sarmiento, Aricia Duarte-Benvenuto & José Luiz Catão-Dias

  2. Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA), CSIC, 28130, Valdeolmos, Spain

    Carlos Sacristán

  3. Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, 13635-900, São Paulo, Brazil

    Angélica María Sánchez-Sarmiento & Lara Borges Keid

  4. Fundação Mamíferos Aquáticos, São Cristóvão, Sergipe, 49.100-000, Brazil

    João Carlos Gomes Borges & Vanessa Araújo Rebelo

  5. Graduate Program in Ecology and Environmental Monitoring, Federal University of Paraíba, Rio Tinto, Paraíba, 58051-900, Brazil

    João Carlos Gomes Borges & Vanessa Araújo Rebelo

  6. Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Josué Díaz-Delgado

Authors
  1. Carlos Sacristán
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Contributions

CS/ACE/AMS-S/JLC-D: conceptualization, methodology, and analysis; CS/ACE: writing — original draft; CS/ACE/AMS-S/AD-B/VAR/JD-D/JLC-D: methodology and analysis and research; CS/ACE/AMS-S/AD-B/JCGB/VAR/JD-D/LBK/JLCD: writing — review and editing, supervision, and analysis.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carlos Sacristán.

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Ethics approval

The samples used in this study were collected in full compliance with specific federal permits issued by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), and approved by the Biodiversity Information and Authorization System (SISBIO 40072–7).

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible Editor: Luiz Henrique Rosa

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Sacristán, C., Ewbank, A.C., Sánchez-Sarmiento, A.M. et al. Erysipelas in a stranded common bottlenose dolphin: first report in a South American odontocete. Braz J Microbiol 53, 2199–2203 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42770-022-00810-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42770-022-00810-5

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