On behalf of my co-authors and I, I would like to announce the publication in the journal of Diseases of Aquatic Organisms the following article: Occurrence of *Brucella ceti* in stranded bottlenose dolphins *Tursiops truncatus* coincides with calving season.
Abstract: Brucellosis is a disease caused by the Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium Brucella spp. In terrestrial species, this zoonotic bacterium is a global public health risk, but there is also concern over the zoonotic potential of marine forms, such as B. ceti, which affects cetaceans. Due to the detection of B. ceti in samples from bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus during the 2010−2014 Gulf of Mexico Unusual Mortality Event, a long-term study of the prevalence of Brucella in stranded bottlenose dolphins from South Carolina, USA, was conducted. From 2012 through 2017, 282 stranded bottlenose dolphins were tested for B. ceti via real-time PCR. Nearly 32% of the dolphins tested positive in at least one sample (brain, lung, blowhole swab). Very little information exists in the literature on the occurrence of Brucella spp. in marine mammals, though in terrestrial species, such as cattle and elk, higher prevalence is often reported in spring. Similar results were found in this study with the peak occurrence being between March and June, a known period of calving in South Carolina. Results from this study provide important insights into the occurrence of the marine bacterium B. ceti. Citation: McFee, WE, Wu, D, Colegrove, K, Terio, K, Balthis, L and R Young. 2020. Occurrence of *Brucella ceti* in stranded bottlenose dolphins *Tursiops truncatus* coincides with calving season. *Diseases of Aquatic Organisms *141: 185-193. The link to the abstract can be found at https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/dao/v141/p185-193/ and a pdf can be requested to wayne.mc...@noaa.gov Thank you. Wayne McFee -- Wayne McFee PI -Coastal Marine Mammal Assessments Key Species and Bioinformatics Branch National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science NOAA National Ocean Service 219 Ft. Johnson Rd. Charleston, SC 29412 (843) 460-9695
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