Legnardi Matteo, Franzo Giovanni, Cecchinato Mattia, Si Haiyang, Baston Riccardo, Mazzariol Sandro, Centelleghe Cinzia, Pietroluongo Guido, Holcer Draško, Miočić-Stošić Jure, Hofs Jeroen, Frleta-Valić Maša, Tucciarone Claudia Maria
Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health (MAPS), University of Padua, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy.
Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science (BCA), University of Padua, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy.
Animals (Basel). 2024 Sep 20;14(18):2725. doi: 10.3390/ani14182725.
This case report presents the first molecular identification of a gammacoronavirus in a free-ranging striped dolphin () that was found stranded along the Croatian coastline in 2022. The dolphin exhibited a concurrent infection with cetacean morbillivirus. The gammacoronavirus strain was amplified and sequenced from heart tissue imprinted on an FTAcard, revealing a notable genetic distance (approximately 8%) from previously characterized cetacean gammacoronaviruses. This finding highlights the importance of including gammacoronaviruses in routine diagnostics for stranded dolphins to gather epidemiological data on their prevalence and potential role in causing disease in cetaceans. This study sets the premises for a further understanding of the diversity and distribution of gammacoronaviruses in marine mammals and highlights the necessity for ongoing surveillance of emerging infectious diseases in wild populations.
本病例报告首次对2022年在克罗地亚海岸搁浅的一只野生条纹海豚体内的γ冠状病毒进行了分子鉴定。这只海豚同时感染了鲸类麻疹病毒。从印在FTA卡上的心脏组织中扩增并测序了γ冠状病毒毒株，结果显示其与先前鉴定的鲸类γ冠状病毒存在显著的遗传距离（约8%）。这一发现凸显了在搁浅海豚的常规诊断中纳入γ冠状病毒检测的重要性，以便收集有关其流行情况以及在鲸类致病中潜在作用的流行病学数据。本研究为进一步了解γ冠状病毒在海洋哺乳动物中的多样性和分布奠定了基础，并强调了持续监测野生种群中新出现传染病的必要性。
