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Medecine Tropicale Et Sante... Mar 2024Brucellosis in marine mammals (cetacean and pinnipeds) has emerged in a very significant way during the last two decades. Currently and are the two recognized species... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
Brucellosis in marine mammals (cetacean and pinnipeds) has emerged in a very significant way during the last two decades. Currently and are the two recognized species in marine mammals, but available information is still limited. Several genotypes have been identified, and studies on the relationship between sequence type (ST) and organ pathogenicity or tropism have indicated differences in pathogenesis between sequences in cetaceans. The zoonotic potential of this disease is based on the identification of the main sources of introduction and spread of spp. in the marine environment as well as on the factors of exposure of marine mammals and humans to the bacteria.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REVIEW
This article is a bibliographical review on marine mammal brucellosis, including the features, sources and transmission modes of each species, as well as their potential pathogenicity in animals and humans.
CONCLUSION
Different genotypes of marine spp have been isolated from marine mammal species but without any evidence of pathology induced by these bacteria. Associated lesions are variable and include subcutaneous abscesses, meningo-encephalomyelitis, pneumonia, myocarditis, osteoarthritis, orchitis, endometritis, placentitis and abortion. The isolation of marine spp from marine mammal respiratory parasites associated to lung injury has raised the intriguing possibility that they may serve as a vector for the transmission of this bacterium.The severity of marine spp remains unknown due to the lack of an estimate of the prevalence of this disease in marine mammals. The number of suspected human cases is still very limited. However, by analogy with other germs of the genus responsible for abortion in ruminants and for a febrile and painful state in human beings, prevention measures are essential. The significant increase in the number of strandings coupled with a high seroprevalence in certain species of marine mammals must be considered for people in direct or indirect contact with these animals. Ongoing epidemiological monitoring combined with extensive post-mortem examinations (necropsy, bacteriology and sequencing) of all species of stranded marine mammals would deepen knowledge on the zoonotic potential of marine species.
Topics: Animals; Brucellosis; Humans; Brucella; Cetacea; Caniformia; Zoonoses
PubMed: 38846127
DOI: 10.48327/mtsi.v4i1.2024.489 -
Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine Apr 2013Exotic small mammal medicine is a relatively new specialty area within veterinary medicine. Ferrets, rabbits, and rodents have long been used as animal models in human... (Review)
Review
Exotic small mammal medicine is a relatively new specialty area within veterinary medicine. Ferrets, rabbits, and rodents have long been used as animal models in human medical research investigations, resulting in a body of basic anatomic and physiologic information that can be used by veterinarians treating these species. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of veterinary articles that describe clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment options of gastrointestinal (GI) disease as it affects exotic small mammals. Although there is little reference material relating to exotic small mammal GI disease, patients are commonly presented to veterinary hospitals with digestive tract disorders. This article provides the latest information available for GI disease in ferrets ( gastritis, inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], GI lymphoma, systemic coronavirus, coccidiosis, and liver disease), rabbits (GI motility disorders, liver lobe torsion, astrovirus, and coccidiosis), guinea pigs (gastric dilatation volvulus [GDV]), rats (), and hamsters (). Both noninfectious diseases and emerging infectious diseases are reviewed as well as the most up-to-date diagnostics and treatment options.
PubMed: 32288678
DOI: 10.1053/j.jepm.2013.05.004 -
Science (New York, N.Y.) Apr 2023Diverse mammal genomes open a new portal to hidden aspects of evolutionary history.
Diverse mammal genomes open a new portal to hidden aspects of evolutionary history.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Genome; Genomics; Mammals; Phylogeny; Genetic Variation
PubMed: 37104595
DOI: 10.1126/science.add2209 -
Acta Biochimica Polonica 2017Interferons (IFNs) are pivotal regulators of immunological processes. This paper describes mainly type I interferons -α and -β and their recently recounted signaling... (Review)
Review
Interferons (IFNs) are pivotal regulators of immunological processes. This paper describes mainly type I interferons -α and -β and their recently recounted signaling pathways, especially connected with ISGs - interferon stimulated genes, having a crucial role in regulating IFN recruitment. Moreover, the paper shows the data on the role of interferons -α and -β in infections - not only commonly known viral infections, but also bacterial, fungal and parasitic.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Infections; Interferon-alpha; Interferon-beta; Mammals; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 28388697
DOI: 10.18388/abp.2016_1403 -
Fungal Systematics and Evolution Jun 2022The consumption of fungi by animals is a significant trophic interaction in most terrestrial ecosystems, yet the role mammals play in these associations has been...
The consumption of fungi by animals is a significant trophic interaction in most terrestrial ecosystems, yet the role mammals play in these associations has been incompletely studied. In this review, we compile 1 154 references published over the last 146 years and provide the first comprehensive global review of mammal species known to eat fungi (508 species in 15 orders). We review experimental studies that found viable fungal inoculum in the scats of at least 40 mammal species, including spores from at least 58 mycorrhizal fungal species that remained viable after ingestion by mammals. We provide a summary of mammal behaviours relating to the consumption of fungi, the nutritional importance of fungi for mammals, and the role of mammals in fungal spore dispersal. We also provide evidence to suggest that the morphological evolution of sequestrate fungal sporocarps (fruiting bodies) has likely been driven in part by the dispersal advantages provided by mammals. Finally, we demonstrate how these interconnected associations are widespread globally and have far-reaching ecological implications for mammals, fungi and associated plants in most terrestrial ecosystems. Elliott TF, Truong C, Jackson S, Zúñiga CL, Trappe JM, Vernes K (2022). Mammalian mycophagy: a global review of ecosystem interactions between mammals and fungi. : 99-159. doi: 10.3114/fuse.2022.09.07.
PubMed: 36072820
DOI: 10.3114/fuse.2022.09.07 -
BMC Evolutionary Biology Nov 2018The axial skeleton consists of repeating units (vertebrae) that are integrated through their development and evolution. Unlike most tetrapods, vertebrae in the mammalian...
BACKGROUND
The axial skeleton consists of repeating units (vertebrae) that are integrated through their development and evolution. Unlike most tetrapods, vertebrae in the mammalian trunk are subdivided into distinct thoracic and lumbar modules, resulting in a system that is constrained in terms of count but highly variable in morphology. This study asks how thoracolumbar regionalization has impacted adaptation and evolvability across mammals. Using geometric morphometrics, we examine evolutionary patterns in five vertebral positions from diverse mammal species encompassing a broad range of locomotor ecologies. We quantitatively compare the effects of phylogenetic and allometric constraints, and ecological adaptation between regions, and examine their impact on evolvability (disparity and evolutionary rate) of serially-homologous vertebrae.
RESULTS
Although phylogenetic signal and allometry are evident throughout the trunk, the effect of locomotor ecology is partitioned between vertebral positions. Lumbar vertebral shape correlates most strongly with ecology, differentiating taxa based on their use of asymmetric gaits. Similarly, disparity and evolutionary rates are also elevated posteriorly, indicating a link between the lumbar region, locomotor adaptation, and evolvability.
CONCLUSION
Vertebral regionalization in mammals has facilitated rapid evolution of the posterior trunk in response to selection for locomotion and static body support.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Anatomic Landmarks; Animals; Biological Evolution; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Locomotion; Mammals; Phylogeny; Principal Component Analysis; Spine
PubMed: 30445907
DOI: 10.1186/s12862-018-1282-2 -
Medical Mycology Feb 2019The prevailing hypothesis concerning the ecology of Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii is that these human pathogenic fungi are soil fungi endemic to hot, dry, salty... (Review)
Review
The prevailing hypothesis concerning the ecology of Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii is that these human pathogenic fungi are soil fungi endemic to hot, dry, salty regions of the New World and that humans and the local, small-mammal fauna are only accidental hosts. Here we advance an alternative hypothesis that Coccidioides spp. live in small mammals as endozoans, which are kept inactive but alive in host granulomas and which transform into spore-producing hyphae when the mammal dies. The endozoan hypothesis incorporates results from comparative genomic analyses of Coccidioides spp. and related taxa that have shown a reduction in gene families associated with deconstruction of plant cell walls and an increase in those associated with digestion of animal protein, consistent with an evolutionary shift in substrate from plants to animals. If true, the endozoan hypothesis requires that models of the prevalence of human coccidioidomycosis account not only for direct effects of climate and soil parameters on the growth and reproduction of Coccidioides spp. but also consider indirect effects on these fungi that come from the plants that support the growth and reproduction of the small mammals that, in turn, support these endozoic fungi.
Topics: Animals; Coccidioides; Coccidioidomycosis; Disease Reservoirs; Ecology; Genome, Fungal; Granuloma; Humans; Hyphae; Mammals; Mice; Phylogeny; Spores, Fungal
PubMed: 30690603
DOI: 10.1093/mmy/myy039 -
Journal of Anatomy Jul 2017The occurrence of osteoarthritis (OA) in marine mammals is still questionable. Here we investigated the prevalence of OA in marine (dolphin and dugong) and terrestrial... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The occurrence of osteoarthritis (OA) in marine mammals is still questionable. Here we investigated the prevalence of OA in marine (dolphin and dugong) and terrestrial mammals (Asian elephant, Asiatic buffalo, camel, cat, cattle, deer, dog, domestic goat, horse, human, hyena, impala, lion, Malayan tapir, Assam macaque, mule, pig, rabbit, red kangaroo, sheep, tiger and waterbuck). Skeletal remains obtained from five institutes were used as subjects; a total of 45 different parts (locations) of bones were observed for OA lesions. The prevalence of OA was reported as number of OA lesions/total number of bones. Our results revealed that the presence of OA in marine species (dolphin and dugong) was 2.44% and 3.33%, respectively. In dolphins, the highest OA occurrence was on the left and right humeral trochlea, with 13.68% and 12.63%, respectively, while the highest number of OA lesions in dugongs was on the lumbar vertebrae (8.79%). No significant difference (P > 0.05) in the prevalence of OA between sexes in dolphins and dugongs was observed, but we found a significant difference (P < 0.05) in 24 bone locations of human bones, which had the highest OA prevalence (48.93%), followed by dogs (3.94%). In conclusion, OA can occur in marine mammals, similar to terrestrial mammals, even though their natural habitat is the ocean.
Topics: Age Factors; Animals; Bone and Bones; Cats; Cattle; Dogs; Dolphins; Dugong; Female; Humans; Joints; Male; Mammals; Osteoarthritis; Sex Factors
PubMed: 28542897
DOI: 10.1111/joa.12620 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Oct 2023Marine mammals consume large quantities of microplastic particles, likely via trophic transfer (i.e., through prey who have consumed plastic) and direct consumption from...
Marine mammals consume large quantities of microplastic particles, likely via trophic transfer (i.e., through prey who have consumed plastic) and direct consumption from seawater or sediment. Microplastics have been found in the stomachs, gastro-intestinal tracts, and feces of cetaceans and pinnipeds. Translocation of ingested microplastics has been documented in other organs of several aquatic species, but has not been examined in marine mammals. Marine mammals have highly specialized lipid-rich tissues which may increase susceptibility to lipophilic microplastics. Here we demonstrate the occurrence of microplastics, ranging in size, mass concentration, and particle count concentration from 24.4 μm - 1387 μm, 0.59 μg/g - 25.20 μg/g, and 0.04 - 0.39 particles/g, respectively, in four tissues (acoustic fat pad, blubber, lung, & melon) from twelve marine mammal species inclusive of mysticetes, odontocetes, and phocids. Twenty-two individuals were examined for microplastics using a combination of Raman spectroscopy and pyrolysis gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Overall, 68% of individuals had at least one microplastic particle in at least one of the four tissue types, with the most common polymer and shape observed being polyethylene and fibers, respectively. These findings suggest some proportion of ingested microplastics translocate throughout marine mammal bodies posing an exposure risk to both marine mammals and people. For people, exposure could be directly through consumption for those who rely on marine mammals as food and indirectly to peoples globally who consume the same prey resources as marine mammals. Some individuals examined represent samples obtained over two decades ago, suggesting that this process, and thus exposure risk, has occurred for some time.
Topics: Animals; Microplastics; Plastics; Cucurbitaceae; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Cetacea; Caniformia; Adipose Tissue; Environmental Monitoring
PubMed: 37541381
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122252 -
PeerJ 2023Diseases vary among and within species but the causes of this variation can be unclear. Immune responses are an important driver of disease variation, but mechanisms on... (Review)
Review
Diseases vary among and within species but the causes of this variation can be unclear. Immune responses are an important driver of disease variation, but mechanisms on how the body resists pathogen establishment before activation of immune responses are understudied. Skin surfaces of mammals are the first line of defense against abiotic stressors and pathogens, and skin attributes such as pH, microbiomes, and lipids influence disease outcomes. Sebaceous glands produce sebum composed of multiple types of lipids with species-specific compositions. Sebum affects skin barrier function by contributing to minimizing water loss, supporting thermoregulation, protecting against pathogens, and preventing UV-induced damage. Sebum also affects skin microbiome composition both via its antimicrobial properties, and by providing potential nutrient sources. Intra- and interspecific variation in sebum composition influences skin disease outcomes in humans and domestic mammal species but is not well-characterized in wildlife. We synthesized knowledge on sebum function in mammals in relation to skin diseases and the skin microbiome. We found that sebum composition was described for only 29 live, wild mammalian species. Sebum is important in dermatophilosis, various forms of dermatitis, demodicosis, and potentially white-nose syndrome. Sebum composition likely affects disease susceptibility, as lipid components can have antimicrobial functions against specific pathogens. It is unclear why sebum composition is species-specific, but both phylogeny and environmental effects may drive differences. Our review illustrates the role of mammal sebum function and influence on skin microbes in the context of skin diseases, providing a baseline for future studies to elucidate mechanisms of disease resistance beyond immune responses.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Sebum; Skin Diseases; Mammals; Lipids; Microbiota; Anti-Infective Agents
PubMed: 38144187
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16680