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Volume 22, Number 2—February 2016
Dispatch

Mediterranean Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) Threatened by Dolphin MorbilliVirus

Sandro MazzariolComments to Author , Cinzia Centelleghe, Giorgia Beffagna, Michele Povinelli, Giuliana Terracciano, Cristiano Cocumelli, Antonio Pintore, Daniele Denurra, Cristina Casalone, Alessandra Pautasso, Cristina Esmeralda Di Francesco, and Giovanni Di Guardo
Author affiliations: University of Padova, Padua, Italy (S. Mazzariol, C. Centelleghe, G. Beffagna, M. Povinelli); Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana, Rome, Italy (G. Terracciano, C. Cocumelli); Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, Sassari, Italy (A. Pintore, D. Denurra); Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Turin, Italy (C. Casalone, A. Pautasso); University of Teramo Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Teramo, Italy (C.E. Di Francesco, G. Di Guardo)

Main Article

Table 1

Demographic data and examination results for 5 Dolphin morbillivirus–positive fin whales stranded off the Mediterranean Sea, 2011–2013*

Whale no., sex/length, m† Stranding date Closest DMV outbreak Dolphin morbillivirus–positive samples, by test
RT-PCR‡ IHC analysis‡ VN
1, M/17 2011 Oct 25 Dec 2010–Jun 2011 Liver, spleen, lungs ND ND
2, F/10 2011 Nov 3 Dec 2010–Jun 2011 Liver, spleen, lymph nodes, skeletal muscle Negative ND
3, M/10 2011 Nov 20 Dec 2010–Jun 2011 Negative ND Positive
4, F/15 2013 Mar 19 Jan–Apr 2013 Lymph nodes ND Negative
5, F/5 2013 Oct 11 Jan–Apr 2013 Brain, lungs, spleen, thymus Brain, thymus Negative

*IHC, immunohistochemical; ND, not done; RT-PCR, reverse transcription PCR; VN, virus neutralization
†Whales 1 and 4 were juveniles; whales 2 and 3 were calves.
‡Tissues routinely examined for morbillivirus: lung, liver, spleen, kidney, prescapular and pulmonary lymph nodes, brain, thymus (if available), tonsils, and skeletal muscle.

Main Article

Page created: January 15, 2016
Page updated: January 15, 2016
Page reviewed: January 15, 2016
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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