Wilson B, Arnold H, Bearzi G, Fortuna C M, Gaspar R, Ingram S, Liret C, Pribanić S, Read A J, Ridoux V, Schneider K, Urian K W, Wells R S, Wood C, Thompson P M, Hammond P S
University of Aberdeen, Department of Zoology, Cromarty, Ross-shire, UK.
Proc Biol Sci. 1999 May 22;266(1423):1077-83. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1999.0746.
Experimental studies have highlighted the potential influence of contaminants on marine mammal immune function and anthropogenic contaminants are commonly believed to influence the development of diseases observed in the wild. However, estimates of the impact of contaminants on wild populations are constrained by uncertainty over natural variation in disease patterns under different environmental conditions. We used photographic techniques to compare levels of epidermal disease in ten coastal populations of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) exposed to a wide range of natural and anthropogenic conditions. Epidermal lesions were common in all populations (affecting > 60% of individuals), but both the prevalence and severity of 15 lesion categories varied between populations. No relationships were found between epidermal disease and contaminant levels across the four populations for which toxicological data were available. In contrast, there were highly significant linear relationships with oceanographic variables. In particular, populations from areas of low water temperature and low salinity exhibited higher lesion prevalence and severity. Such conditions may impact on epidermal integrity or produce more general physiological stress, potentially making animals more vulnerable to natural infections or anthropogenic factors. These results show that variations in natural environmental factors must be accounted for when investigating the importance of anthropogenic impacts on disease in wild marine mammals.
实验研究突出了污染物对海洋哺乳动物免疫功能的潜在影响，并且人们普遍认为人为污染物会影响在野外观察到的疾病的发展。然而，由于不同环境条件下疾病模式的自然变异存在不确定性，对污染物对野生种群影响的估计受到限制。我们使用摄影技术比较了暴露于广泛自然和人为条件下的十个宽吻海豚（Tursiops truncatus）沿海种群的表皮疾病水平。表皮病变在所有种群中都很常见（影响超过60%的个体），但15种病变类型的患病率和严重程度在不同种群之间有所不同。在可获得毒理学数据的四个种群中，未发现表皮疾病与污染物水平之间存在关联。相比之下，与海洋学变量存在高度显著的线性关系。特别是，来自水温低和盐度低地区的种群表现出更高的病变患病率和严重程度。这些条件可能会影响表皮完整性或产生更普遍的生理压力，从而可能使动物更容易受到自然感染或人为因素的影响。这些结果表明，在调查人为影响对野生海洋哺乳动物疾病的重要性时，必须考虑自然环境因素的变化。
