2026-04-14T03:00:38Zhttps://recercat.cat/oai/request

oai:recercat.cat:20.500.12327/28672025-10-22T11:29:03Zcom_2072_4428com_2072_4427col_2072_487898

Erysipelas with preferential brain and skin involvement in a Mediterranean bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus Martino, Laura Serrano, Bárbara Alomar, Jaume Pérez, Lola Aragon, Virginia Cobos, Àlex Abarca, Maria Lourdes Yazdi, Zeinab Soto, Esteban Domingo, Mariano Producció Animal Sanitat Animal Infections by Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae occur in domestic animals and cause the disease known as ‘erysipelas’. The ubiquity of Erysipelothrix spp. makes infection possible in a wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates. Cetaceans are highly susceptible to erysipelas, especially those under human care. The number of cases documented in wild cetaceans is low, the pathogenesis is incompletely understood, and the full spectrum of lesions is not well defined. The possible serotypes and species of the genus that can cause disease are unknown. In October 2022, a common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus stranded in Vilassar de Mar (Catalonia) showing skin lesions consistent with ‘diamond skin disease’, a characteristic lesion of erysipelas shared by swine and cetaceans. Necropsy was performed following standardized procedures, and multiple samples were taken for histopathology and bacteriology. Erysipelothrix sp. grew in pure culture in many tissue samples. Genetic characterization by multi-locus sequence analysis identified the species as E. rhusiopathiae. Histologically, the main lesions were an intense suppurative vasculitis of leptomeningeal arteries and veins with abundant intramural Gram-positive bacilli and meningeal hemorrhages. Meningeal lesions were considered the cause of death. The affected skin showed moderate suppurative dermatitis. Herein we document a case of erysipelas in a Mediterranean common bottlenose dolphin with unusual lesions in the leptomeningeal vessels and marked skin tropism. To our knowledge, this is the first case of severe brain involvement in erysipelas in a cetacean. We also provide a review of available cases in wild cetaceans, to highlight the characteristics of the disease and improve future diagnosis. 2025-10-22T11:29:03Z 2025-10-22T11:29:03Z 2025-10-22T11:29:03Z 2024-02-01 info:eu-repo/semantics/article Martino, L, B. Adell Serrano, Jaume Alomar, Luis Pérez, Virginia Aragón, Àlex Cobos, M. L. Abarca, Zeinab Yazdi, Esteban Soto, and Mariano Cuesta Domingo. 2024. “Erysipelas With Preferential Brain and Skin Involvement in a Mediterranean Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus).” Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 157: 31-43. doi:10.3354/dao03770. 0177-5103 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12327/2867 https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03770 eng Diseases of Aquatic Organisms http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Attribution 4.0 International Inter-Research Science