February 2007 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Seal finger
by Kelly, Jane M. (CDC/CCHP/NCCDPHP) 02 Feb '07

02 Feb '07

In response to the current listserv comments on antbiotic choices for seal finger, I want to confirm the information submitted by Mary Cody that the infecting organism in seal finger is NOT generally responsive to penicillin or penicillin-derivatives as suggested by Pieter Van Der Wal, and I highly recommend consultation with a physician with expertise with this specific infection. Secondary infection with other organisms such as Staphylococci may be responsive to penicillin derivatives, but this treatment is not adequate for the causative agent (mycoplasma) for seal finger. The current antibiotic of choice is still doxycycline 100mg bid X 4 to 6 weeks or tetracycline 500mg QID X4 to 6 weeks. Jane Kelly, MD Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Atlanta GA

1 0

new paper on highly divergent bottlenose dolphins
by Kate Charlton 01 Feb '07

01 Feb '07

Dear Marmam readers, The following paper will be published in the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management. A note on divergent mtDNA lineages of bottlenose dolphins from coastal waters of southern Australia. Kate Charlton, Andrea C. Taylor and Stephen W. McKechnie J. CETACEAN RES. MANAGE. 8(2):173–179, 2006 173 Contact e-mail: kate.charlton(a)sci.monash.edu.au ABSTRACT Bottlenose dolphins have a global distribution throughout tropical and temperate waters, both inshore and offshore. Many studies demonstrate the existence of at least two Tursiops species: Tursiops truncatus, consisting of inshore and offshore eco-types and T. aduncus, a coastal Indo-Pacific type known to extend south into temperate waters down the east coast of Australia. To clarify the taxonomic status of two populations (Port Phillip Bay and Gippsland Lakes) of coastal bottlenose dolphins along Australia’s south coast (Victoria), a 346bp region of the mitochondrial-DNA (mtDNA) control region was sequenced from ten individuals and they were incorporated into phylogenetic analyses involving published sequences of other Tursiops spp., Stenella spp. and Delphinus spp., found worldwide. Both neighbour-joining and maximum parsimony trees place Victorian coastal haplotypes in a highly-supported group separate to those from the other dolphins, including those from the southern part of the Australian eastern coast. Victorian haplotypes are least divergent from T. truncatus (average 5.5%) and most divergent from T. aduncus (9.1%), with intermediate levels of divergence from Stenella and Delphinus spp. These data suggest that the Victorian coastal dolphins, similar to other world-wide coastal populations, are genetically unique, long isolated and therefore likely to be locally adapted. This has important implications for management and conservation. If you would like a pdf file of this paper, please send a request to: kate.charlton(a)sci.monash.edu.au Best Regards, Kate Charlton

1 0

New article on Z. cavirostris in the Adriatic sea
by Drasko Holcer 01 Feb '07

01 Feb '07

Dear colleagues, the following article will be published in the new issue of JMBA Occurrence of Cuvier’s beaked whales in the southern Adriatic Sea: evidence of an important Mediterranean habitat D Holcer, G Notarbartolo di Sciara, CM Fortuna, B Lazar and V Onofri J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. (2007), 87, 359–362 Abstract The intent of this work is to summarize the available knowledge on the appearance, identification and distribution of Cuvier’s beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) in the Adriatic Sea through a review of historical data, inspection of natural history collections and collection of original data. In total, eleven occurrences are documented of Cuvier’s beaked whale along the Adriatic coast with all records originating from the deep southern Adriatic basin. The number of recorded stranded Cuvier’s beaked whales in the southern Adriatic represents about 3% of the recorded specimens in the entire Mediterranean. This percentage increases up to about 5% when considering only data collected after the first recorded stranding of the recent era in 1975. Comparing these percentages to the extent of the area relative to the Mediterranean, the proportion of occurrence of the total stranded Cuvier’s beaked whales in the southern Adriatic ranged between the same to double of that of the entire Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, the southern Adriatic Sea should be considered as a potentially relevant habitat of the Cuvier’s beaked whale. This hypothesis has clear conservation implications particularly in view of the adverse impact of sonar experiments, carried out by navies from several countries, on this species and should be further investigated. Finally, there is no evidence of the northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus) ever having occurred in this part of the Mediterranean region. The reprints can be obtained from the authors My best regards, Drasko Holcer -- Draško Holcer, curator Croatian Natural History Museum, Dept. of Zooloogy Demetrova 1, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia tel +385 1 4851700 fax +385 1 4851644 Internet: www.hpm.hr e-mail Drasko.Holcer(a)hpm.hr SMS: drasko(a)vip.hr

1 0