Colleagues,
We would like to inform you that the following article was recently
published in Diseases of Aquatic Organisms.
Modeling
lacaziosis lesion progression in common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops
truncatus using long-term photographic records
Leslie Burdett Hart, Randall
S. Wells, Jeffrey D. Adams, Dave S. Rotstein, Lori H. Schwacke
ABSTRACT: Lacaziosis (lobomycosis) is a skin disease caused by Lacazia
loboi, occurring naturally only in humans and dolphins. Attempts to
culture the pathogen in vitro have been unsuccessful, and
inoculation studies of lacaziosis development in mice have provided
only limited, short-term data on the progression and propagation of L.
loboi. The present study used photographic data from long-term
photo-identification and health assessment projects to model and
quantify the progression of lacaziosis lesions in 3 common bottlenose
dolphins Tursiops truncatus from Sarasota Bay, Florida, USA.
Dorsal fin images throughout each animal’s sighting history were
examined for lesion growth, and the proportion of lesion coverage in
each photograph was estimated using image analysis tools in Adobe
Photoshop®. The progression of lacaziosis lesions and lesion growth
rates were modeled using a non-linear monomolecular growth model. As
data on lacaziosis development and advancement are limited in humans
and laboratory animals, dolphins with a long-term case history of the
disease may serve as a good animal model to better understand
lacaziosis progression. Furthermore, this study demonstrates the
utility of long-term population monitoring data for tracking the
progression of a poorly understood disease that is relevant to both
dolphin and human health.
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, Volume 90, Issue 2, Pgs. 105-112
Abstract link: http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/dao/v90/n2/p105-112/
Please make requests to: Leslie.Burdett@noaa.gov
--
Leslie Burdett Hart
PhD Candidate
The Medical University of South Carolina
Hollings Marine Laboratory
331 Ft. Johnson Rd.
Charleston, SC 29412
Work: 843-725-4831
Fax: 843-762-8737