Dear Collegues
we're pleased to inform you about two articles recently published on
dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) found in fin and bealed whales.
1) The first one, entitled "GENOMIC AND STRUCTURAL INVESTIGATIONS ON
DOLPHIN MORBILLIVIRUS IN MEDITERRANEAN FIN WHALES (BALAENOPTERA
PHYSALUS)" described investigations on the virus deemed to be
responsible for a recent mortality cluster in the Mediterranean Sea
in the last years. The abstract is here below reported:
Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) has been deemed as one of the most
relevant threats for fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) being
responsible for a mortality outbreak in the Mediterranean Sea in the
last years. Knowledge of the complete viral genome is essential to
understand any structural changes that could modify virus
pathogenesis and viral tissue tropism. We report the complete DMV
sequence of N, P/V/C, M, F and H genes identified from a fin whale
and the comparison of primary to quaternary structure of proteins
between this fin whale strain and some of those isolated during the
1990–‘92 and the 2006–‘08 epidemics. Some relevant substitutions
were detected, particularly Asn52Ser located on F protein and
Ile21Thr on N protein. Comparing mutations found in the fin whale
DMV with those occurring in viral strains of other cetacean species,
some of them were proven to be the result of diversifying selection,
thus allowing to speculate on their role in host adaptation and on
the way they could affect the interaction between the viral
attachment and fusion with the target host cells.
Citation: Beffagna, G. et al. Genomic and structural investigation
on dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) in Mediterranean fin whales
(Balaenoptera physalus). Sci. Rep. 7, 41554
Download the full article here:
http://www.nature.com/articles/srep41554
2) The second article describes the first identification of DMV in a
Cuvier's beaked whale stranded in Italy in 2015. The paper reports
also results of the constant monitoring along the Italian coastlines
related to DMV. Here below the abstract and data for citation and
downloading.
Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) has caused several mortality events in
Mediterranean striped (Stenella coeruleoalba) and bottlenose
(Tursiops truncatus) dolphins populations since nineties; in the
last 5 years, the virus was reported to infect new hosts in this
basin, such as fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), sperm whales
(Physeter macrocephalus) and even a harbor seal (Phoca vitulina).
Very recently, a calf Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris)
calf stranded on the Southern Italian coastline with mild
pathological findings suggestive of morbilliviral infection,
received the first confirmation of DMV infection in this species by
biomolecular evidences on lung tissue. This new cross species
infection report, along with 19% of the cetaceans specimens examined
by the Italian Stranding Network being found positive to DMV,
support the hypothesis of an endemic circulation of this virus among
Mediterranean cetaceans.
Citation: Centelleghe C, Beffagna G, Palmisano G, Franzo G, Casalone
C, Pautasso A, Giorda F, Di Nocera F, Iaccarino D, Santoro M, Di
Guardo G and Mazzariol S (2017). Dolphin morbillivirus in a Cuvier’s
beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), Italy. Front. Microbiol. 8:111.
doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00111
Download:
http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2017.00111/abstract
All the best
Sandro Mazzariol
--
Dr. Sandro Mazzariol, DVM, PhD
Dipartimento di Biomedicina Comparata e Alimentazione (BCA)
Università degli Studi di Padova
Cetaceans strandings Emergency Response Team (CERT)
AGRIPOLIS - Ed. Museo
Viale dell'Università 16
35020 - Legnaro (PD)
tel.: +39 049 827 2963
fax: +39 049 827 2973
skype: smazzariol