Guiana Dolphin Unusual Mortality Event and Link to Cetacean Morbillivirus, Brazil

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 24; no. 7; pp. 1349 - 1354
• Main Authors: Groch, Kátia R, Santos-Neto, Elitieri B, Díaz-Delgado, Josué, Ikeda, Joana M P, Carvalho, Rafael R, Oliveira, Raissa B, Guari, Emi B, Bisi, Tatiana L, Azevedo, Alexandre F, Lailson-Brito, José, Catão-Dias, José L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01-07-2018; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Animal Diseases - epidemiology; Animal Diseases - virology; Animals; Brazil - epidemiology; die-off; Disease Outbreaks; Dispatch; dolphin; Dolphins (Mammals); Dolphins - virology; Endangered species; Female; Guiana Dolphin Unusual Mortality Event and Link to Cetacean Morbillivirus, Brazil; immunosuppression; Male; Morbillivirus; Morbillivirus Infections - veterinary; morbillivirus outbreak; Paramyxoviridae; Phylogeny; Population Density; RNA, Viral; Sotalia guianensis; Brazil; dolphin; viruses; die-off; pathology; morbillivirus outbreak; Sotalia guianensis; marine mammals; immunosuppression; Paramyxoviridae
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2407.180139

During November-December 2017, a mass die-off of Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) began in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Molecular and pathologic investigations on 20 animals indicated that cetacean morbillivirus played a major role. Our findings increase the knowledge on health and disease aspects of this endangered species.