Volume 17, Number 12—December 2011
Research
Sealpox Virus in Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Facilities, North America, 2007–2009
Amira Roess1, Rebecca Levine, Laura Barth, Benjamin Monroe, Darin Carroll, Inger Damon, and Mary Reynolds
Table 3
Characteristics of 11 marine mammal rehabilitation facilities that did or did not report sealpox among pinnipeds during the 12 months before survey of marine mammal centers, North America, 2007–2009
| Characteristic | Sealpox reported in facility in past 12 mo |
|
|---|---|---|
| No | Yes | |
| Animal enclosures | ||
| Shared by adults and pups* | 1 | 2 |
| Shared by different species | 2 | 5 |
| Quarantine space available | 2 | 9 |
| Frequency of pen disinfection | ||
| 2×/d | 0 | 3 |
| 1×/d | 0 | 6 |
| <1×/wk | 2 | 0 |
| Disinfectant used† | ||
| Any use | 2 | 9 |
| Bleach | 1 | 8 |
| Virkon | 1 | 3 |
| Chlorhex | 2 | 2 |
| Iodophores | 0 | 2 |
| Standard protocols for newly admitted pinnipeds† | ||
| Isolation/quarantine | 1 | 9 |
| Physical examination | 2 | 9 |
| Blood tests‡ | 1 | 9 |
| Vaccination§ | 1 | 1 |
| Coast | ||
| Atlantic | 1 | 4 |
| Pacific | 1 | 5 |
| Enclosure material† | ||
| Plastic | 1 | 4 |
| Fiberglass | 1 | 7 |
| Cement | 1 | 5 |
| Epoxy resin | 1 | 1 |
| Wire | 0 | 1 |
*Adults, >1 y of age; pups, <1 y of age.
†Responses were not mutually exclusive.
‡Tests performed included pathogen screening for morbillivirus, Brucella spp., rabies virus, Leptospira spp., West Nile virus, heartworms, intestinal helminths, and avian influenza virus.
§Vaccinations included those against West Nile virus, rabies virus, and Leptospira spp.
1Current affiliation: George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
