Laboratório de Patologia Comparada de Animais Selvagens (LAPCOM), Departamento de Patologia, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Orlando Marques de Paiva 87, São Paulo, 05508-270, Brazil.
Instituto de Pesquisas Cananéia (IpeC), Av. Luiz Rangel 1167, Cananéia, São Paulo, 11990-000, Brazil.
J Wildl Dis. 2022 Jan 1;58(1):86-99. doi: 10.7589/JWD-D-21-00060.
Among pinnipeds, four Otariidae species (eared seals) have been reported as occasional or frequent vagrants along the coast of Brazil, mainly in the southern region. These animals usually arrive debilitated during winter and are directed to rehabilitation. Nevertheless, available information on sanitary aspects of stranded pinnipeds in Brazil is limited. Increased fur seal strandings (n=23) were recorded during the 2018 winter season in southeast Brazil (Iguape, Ilha Comprida, and Ilha do Cardoso, Sao Paulo State) compared to 2017 (n=2). Of these 23 fur seals, two were found dead and were in a good postmortem condition, and four died during rehabilitation and were subsequently necropsied. The remaining fur seals were not analyzed due to advanced decomposition (9/23) or successful rehabilitation (8/23). Herein, we report the antemortem hematology (n=4) and postmortem pathologic, parasitologic, and molecular analysis results as well as the most likely cause of stranding and/ or death (CSD) in five free-ranging juvenile South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis) and one free-ranging juvenile subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis). All animals were males, and all but one had poor body condition. Pathologic examinations revealed a variety of lesions, predominantly hemodynamic disturbances, endoparasitism, and inflammatory disease processes of suspected infectious nature. Molecular analyses detected gammaherpesvirus infections in two South American seals and one subantarctic fur seal, Sarcocystis sp. in one subantarctic fur seal, and Neospora spp. in two South American fur seals. All seals were PCR-negative for morbillivirus, flavivirus, and Toxoplasma gondii. The most likely CSDs were: starvation (2), aspiration pneumonia (1), asphyxia (1), predator attack (1), and presumed systemic infectious disease (1). These findings expand the geographic range of various pathogens of pinnipeds and may be of value to first responders, clinicians, and diagnosticians.
在鳍足类动物中，有 4 种澳毛皮海狮（有耳海豹）被报道为偶尔或经常沿着巴西海岸漂泊的动物，主要在南部地区。这些动物通常在冬季虚弱地到达，并被送往康复中心。然而，有关巴西搁浅鳍足类动物卫生方面的信息有限。与 2017 年（n=2）相比，2018 年冬季巴西东南部（伊瓜佩、伊拉古巴和卡多索岛，圣保罗州）记录到的海狗（n=23）数量增加。在这 23 只海狗中，有 2 只被发现死亡，尸体状况良好，有 4 只在康复过程中死亡，并随后进行了尸检。由于尸体严重腐烂（9/23）或康复成功（8/23），其余海狗未进行分析。在此，我们报告了 5 只自由放养的幼年南美毛皮海狮（Arctocephalus australis）和 1 只自由放养的幼年亚南极毛皮海狮（Arctocephalus tropicalis）的生前血液学（n=4）和死后病理学、寄生虫学和分子分析结果，以及最有可能的搁浅和/或死亡原因（CSD）。所有动物均为雄性，除 1 只外，其余动物身体状况均较差。病理学检查显示出多种病变，主要为血流动力学紊乱、内寄生虫病和疑似感染性的炎症性疾病过程。分子分析在 2 只南美海豹和 1 只亚南极毛皮海狮中检测到γ疱疹病毒感染，在 1 只亚南极毛皮海狮中检测到 Sarcocystis sp.，在 2 只南美毛皮海狮中检测到 Neospora spp。所有海豹均为麻疹病毒、黄病毒和刚地弓形虫 PCR 阴性。最有可能的 CSD 为：饥饿（2）、吸入性肺炎（1）、窒息（1）、捕食者攻击（1）和疑似全身性传染病（1）。这些发现扩大了各种鳍足类动物病原体的地理范围，可能对急救人员、临床医生和诊断人员有价值。
