My co-authors and I are pleased to share our most recent publication titled "Brucella ceti Infection in
Striped Dolphins from Italian Seas: Associated Lesions and Epidemiological Data".
You will find the open access publication at the
link:
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/12/8/1034
Citation: Grattarola, C.; Petrella, A.; Lucifora, G.; Di Francesco, G.; Di Nocera, F.; Pintore, A.; Cocumelli, C.; Terracciano, G.; Battisti, A.; Di Renzo, L.; et al. Brucella ceti Infection in Striped Dolphins from Italian Seas: Associated Lesions and Epidemiological
Data. Pathogens 2023, 12, 1034. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/pathogens12081034
Abstract:
Brucella
ceti infections
have been increasingly reported in cetaceans. In this study, we analyzed all cases of B.
ceti infection
detected in striped dolphins stranded along the Italian coastline between 2012 and 2021 (N =
24). We focused on the pathogenic role of B.
ceti through
detailed pathological studies, and ad hoc microbiological, biomolecular, and serological investigations, coupled with a comparative genomic analysis of the strains. Neurobrucellosis was observed in 20 animals. The primary histopathologic features included
non-suppurative meningoencephalitis (N =
9), meningitis (N =
6), and meningoencephalomyelitis (N =
5), which was also associated with typical lesions in other tissues (N =
8). Co-infections were detected in more than half of the cases, mostly involving Cetacean Morbillivirus (CeMV). The 24 B.
ceti isolates
were assigned primarily to sequence type 26 (ST26) (N =
21) and, in a few cases, ST49 (N =
3). The multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) based on whole genome sequencing (WGS) data showed that strains from Italy clustered into four genetically distinct clades. Plotting these clades onto a geographic map suggests a link between their phylogeny and
the topographical distribution. These results support the role of B.
ceti as
a primary neurotropic pathogen for striped dolphins and highlight the utility of WGS data in understanding the evolution of this emerging pathogen.
Kind regards,
Carla Grattarola