New recognition of Enterovirus infections in bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus)

• Published in: Veterinary microbiology Vol. 139; no. 1; pp. 170 - 175
• Main Authors: Nollens, Hendrik H., Rivera, Rebecca, Palacios, Gustavo, Wellehan, James F.X., Saliki, Jeremiah T., Caseltine, Shannon L., Smith, Cynthia R., Jensen, Eric D., Hui, Jeffrey, Lipkin, W. Ian, Yochem, Pamela K., Wells, Randall S., St. Leger, Judy, Venn-Watson, Stephanie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 20-10-2009; Amsterdam; New York: Elsevier; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Bottle-Nosed Dolphin - virology; Bottlenose dolphin enterovirus; Bovine enterovirus; captive animals; disease detection; disease prevalence; disease severity; disease surveillance; Dolphin; dolphins; electron microscopy; Enterovirus; Enterovirus Infections - veterinary; Enterovirus, Bovine - genetics; Enterovirus, Bovine - isolation & purification; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; lesions (animal); Marine; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; molecular epidemiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Pathogen; pathogen identification; Phylogeny; risk assessment; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Analysis, DNA; serodiagnosis; seroprevalence; signs and symptoms (animals and humans); tongue; Tongue - virology; Tursiops; Tursiops truncatus; viral diseases of animals and humans; Virology; Virus; wild animals; wildlife diseases; Virus; Tursiops; Bovine enterovirus; Pathogen; Dolphin; Microbiology; Picornaviridae; Enterovirus; Veterinary; Recognition
• ISSN: 0378-1135; 1873-2542
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2009.05.010

An enterovirus was cultured from an erosive tongue lesion of a bottlenose dolphin (
Tursiops truncatus). The morphology of virions on negative staining electron microscopy was consistent with those of enteroviruses. Analysis of 2613
bp of the polyprotein gene identified the isolate as a novel enterovirus strain, tentatively named bottlenose dolphin enterovirus (BDEV), that nests within the species
Bovine enterovirus. Serologic evidence of exposure to enteroviruses was common in both free-ranging and managed collection dolphins. Managed collection dolphins were more likely to have high antibody levels, although the highest levels were reported in free-ranging populations. Associations between enterovirus antibody levels, and age, sex, complete blood counts, and clinical serum biochemistries were explored. Dolphins with higher antibody levels were more likely to be hyperproteinemic and hyperglobulinemic.