Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches - likely primary cause is a virus -- the cetacean morbillivirus

[Pathfinder]

Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches

By Victoria Cavaliere
Thu Aug 1, 2013 5:38pm EDT

(Reuters) - Carcasses of bottlenose dolphins are washing up on U.S. East Coast beaches from New Jersey to Virginia at a higher than normal pace, with more than 120 dead animals discovered since June, local and federal officials said on Thursday.
...
"It's absolutely alarming," said Susan Barco, research coordinator at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center Foundation.

Since early June, 87 dead dolphins have been found in Virginia, compared to about 50 dolphin deaths the state by this time last year. Most were found clustered in the middle to lower Chesapeake Bay region.

In New Jersey, 21 dolphin carcasses have been found so far this year, compared to a dozen deaths in a typical year. In Delaware, 10 baby dolphins have perished since June, compared to a typical seasonal death toll of five. In Maryland, where there is usually one death each season, at least 4 dead dolphins have been discovered.
...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/01/us-usa-dolphins-idUSBRE9701C920130801

[Pathfinder]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches

Dolphin deaths continue

Results from Penn's veterinary school may explain N.J. incidents.

David O'Reilly, Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted: Saturday, August 3, 2013, 10:57 PM

With four more dolphins found washed up on the South Jersey coast late this week, officials are awaiting additional necropsy results from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine for possible clues.

Twenty-five bottlenose dolphins have been found dead or dying in New Jersey since July 9. Forty-four have also washed up in Virginia this summer, with five discovered Thursday. Delaware and Maryland are also reporting higher-than-normal dolphin deaths.
...
Bob Schoelkopf, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, N.J., that is shipping carcasses to Penn for necropsy, said results thus far show four cases of pneumonia and one of morbillivirus, a measles-like virus blamed for killing 742 bottlenose in the 1980s.

A brain worm infection - which is harder to detect - can also be a culprit, Habecker said.

Two dead dolphins were found Friday in Avalon and another in Lower Township, according to Schoelkopf.

Another died Thursday in Ocean City...
...
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20...drEFgUOuhMv.99

[sharon sanders]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches

Also please see:

Dolphin mortality rate in the Gulf of Mexico still at high levels


Thousands of dolphins swarmed San Diego, CA waters

[Pathfinder]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches

Dead Dolphins Wash Up in Disturbingly High Numbers at Risk to Humans

Aug 6, 2013 3:45pm
...

?We?ve been seeing an increase in dolphin deaths along the Jersey coast since the Ninth of July. From that date to present, we?re up to 28 dead animals,? New Jersey?s Marine Mammal Stranding Center founding-director Bob Schoelkopf told ABCNews.com today.

In just the month of July, 91 dead dolphins have washed up in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In 2012, those same states had a combined death toll of nine. There were 16 in 2011.

?When you?re seeing a large number of animals stranding for an unknown reason, it?s telling us there?s something funky going on in the environment and in the water,? NOAA Fisheries public affairs officer Maggie Mooney-Seus told ABCNews.com. ?Something?s not right.?
...
Schoelkopf said his primary concern is the health hazard that comes with humans spotting the stranded dolphins and trying to save them.
...
?Regardless of whether it?s healthy, dead or sick, people need to stay away from them. These are wild animals,? Mooney-Seus said. ?They can bite and they can transmit diseases to human. It?s always wise for people to keep a safe distance.?
...
Schoelkopf said that if people spot a dead or ailing dolphin, they should alert a lifeguard or a police department who will send help.
...

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/08/dead-dolphins-wash-up-in-disturbingly-high-numbers-at-risk-to-humans/

[Pathfinder]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches

2013 Bottlenose Dolphin Unusual Mortality Event in the Mid-Atlantic

Overview

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (as amended), an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) has been declared for bottlenose dolphins in the Mid-Atlantic region from early July 2013 through the present. Elevated strandings of bottlenose dolphins have occurred in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

Current bottlenose dolphin strandings are over seven times the historical average for the month of July for the Mid-Atlantic Region. All age classes of bottlenose dolphins are involved and strandings range from a few live animals to mostly dead animals with many very decomposed.
...
There are no unifying gross necropsy findings although several dolphins have presented with pulmonary lesions. Preliminary testing of tissues from one dolphin indicates possible morbillivirus infection, although it is too early to say whether or not morbillivirus may be causing this event. Based on the rapid increase in strandings over the last two weeks and the geographic extent of these mortalities, an infectious pathogen is at the top of the list of potential causes for this UME, but all potential causes of these mortalities will be evaluated. Work is underway to determine whether an infectious agent affecting these dolphins is present in collected tissue samples.

As part of the UME investigation process, an independent team of scientists (Investigative Team) is being assembled to coordinate with the Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events to review the data collected and to determine the next steps.

Bottlenose dolphin stranding in NJ. Photo: Marine Mammal Stranding Center
1987-1988 Bottlenose Dolphin Mortality Event

It has been 25 years since the 1987-1988 bottlenose dolphin morbillivirus mortality event that occurred along the mid-Atlantic coast, involving over 740 animals and spanning from New Jersey to Florida. That massive die-off, along with a humpback whale mortality event in 1987 off the coast of Massachusetts and the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill prompted Congress to formally establish the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program with the specific instructions for the UME Program as Title IV of the MMPA.

FAQs

FAQs on investigation of the ongoing Mid-Atlantic bottlenose dolphin UME are available.

More Information
?To report a live or dead stranded dolphin in the Northeast U.S., please call the local marine mammal stranding network (1-866-755-6622).
?Lipscomb et al. 1994 - Morbilliviral Disease in Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins from 1987-1988 Epizootic
?Geraci 1989 - Clinical Investigation of the 1987-1988 Mass Mortality of Bottlenose Dolphins
?Morbillivirus in Cetaceans
?Unusual Mortality Events
?National Marine Mammal Stranding Network

Updated: August 8, 2013

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/mmume/midatldolphins2013.html

[Emily]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches

I wonder if they'll test for the new polyomavirus Lipkin's group isolated in a west coast dolphin. That was big news.

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=208686

[Pathfinder]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches

Mystery Illness Keeps Killing Dolphins on Jersey Shore

Officials think the animals might be dying of viral pneumonia.

Monday, Aug 19, 2013 | Updated 7:26 AM EDT
They have been found in Seaside Heights, Long Beach Island and other locations, bringing the total number found on the Jersey shore to 58 since since July 9.

Director Robert Schoelkopf of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center tells The Press of Atlantic City the dolphins appear to be dying of viral pneumonia, but the cause is unknown.

Researchers are investigating what may have killed more than 124 dolphins found stranded in coastal areas in the Mid-Atlantic region since July ? seven times the historic average, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said. All but seven of the dolphins were already dead when they were discovered, and each of those eventually died or had to be euthanized.
...

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Dead-Dolphins-Jersey-Shore-Wash-Up-Epidemic-Health-Wildlife-220165581.html

[Emily]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches - might be dying of viral pneumonia

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/scie...he-east-coast/

August 13, 2013
Why Are So Many Dolphins Washing Up Dead on the East Coast?
...
That underlying factor might be a particularly disconcerting one: humans. Disproportionate numbers of males and calves are among the dolphins turning up dead, which makes Potter and other suspicious that environmental contaminants—such as heavy metals, pesticides and hydrocarbons—might play a role.

“Males don’t have a mechanism for shedding contaminants,” he says. “The females shed significant amounts of their lipid-soluble contaminants through lactation, so the calf gets a hell of a dose early on in life, and some of the most outrageous levels of contaminants we’ve seen have been in calves.” It’s possible that the overall buildup of contaminants in these animals—along with other stresses attributable to human activity, such as increased noise and competition for space and food with humans—is making them more susceptible to infectious pathogens.

Potter says that he and other investigators will continue testing the dolphins for the virus, contaminants and other factors so they can try to find further clues to solve the mystery...

Read more: http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/scie...#ixzz2cXJvV73P
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter

[Emily]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches - might be dying of viral pneumonia

http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story...mass-die-off-?

Ex-dolphin trainer now looking into mass die-off
by Wayne Parry, Associated Press
August 22, 2013 08:15 AM

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Ex dolphin trainer now looking into mass die off
BRIGANTINE, N.J. (AP) ? Once upon a time, he was known as Capt. Bob, the man who trained the dolphins and seals to perform for crowds in Atlantic City.

But as he got to know the dolphins, Bob Schoelkopf renounced keeping them in captivity and devoted the rest of his life to rescuing stranded marine mammals...

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Ex dolphin trainer now looking into mass die off

[Pathfinder]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches - might be dying of viral pneumonia

2013 Bottlenose Dolphin Unusual Mortality Event in the Mid-Atlantic
...

There are no unifying gross necropsy findings although several dolphins have presented with pulmonary lesions. Preliminary testing of tissues from one dolphin indicates possible morbillivirus infection, although it is too early to say whether or not morbillivirus may be causing this event. Based on the rapid increase in strandings over the last two weeks and the geographic extent of these mortalities, an infectious pathogen is at the top of the list of potential causes for this UME, but all potential causes of these mortalities will be evaluated. Work is underway to determine whether an infectious agent affecting these dolphins is present in collected tissue samples.
As part of the UME investigation process, an independent team of scientists (Investigative Team) is being assembled to coordinate with the Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events to review the data collected and to determine the next steps.

...Updated: August 21, 2013

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/mmume/midatldolphins2013.html

[Pathfinder]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches - likely primary cause is a virus -- the cetacean morbillivirus

What?s Causing the Bottlenose Dolphin Deaths Along the Mid-Atlantic?



Since at least mid-July, NOAA Fisheries Stranding Network members from New York to Virginia have been responding to an alarming increase in bottlenose dolphin strandings, which are still occurring. In fact, bottlenose dolphin strandings in this area are over nine times the historical average for the months of July and August. So far, there have been 291 animals (as of August 26), compared to a historic mean of 26.

On August 8, 2013, NOAA Fisheries officially declared this situation an ?Unusual Mortality Event.? Since that time, dolphin strandings also have occurred in North Carolina. The Marine Mammal Stranding Network and NOAA Fisheries are collecting and analyzing samples to see if there is any relationship between all the strandings along the Atlantic seaboard. It is possible that the mortality event may be expanding south (33 as of August 26, compared to historic mean of 4) as the dolphins begin their seasonal migration.

?We would not be able to respond to a stranding event of this magnitude if it were not for the tireless efforts and commitment of our partners in the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, who have been on the frontline,? said Dr. Teri Rowles, coordinator of NOAA?s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program. ?Staff and volunteers from stranding organizations have been working around the clock to respond quickly to live or dead dolphins so we can investigate and figure out what may be causing these mortalities.?

Numerous Stranding Network organizations along the east coast have been involved in the response, rescue, recovery and investigation aspects of this event, including: the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation in New York; the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in New Jersey; Department of Natural Resources in Delaware; the National Aquarium in Baltimore and Department of Natural Resources in Maryland; the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia; the Smithsonian?s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.; the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Department of Environment and Natural Resources in North Carolina; The Marine Mammal Center in California; and the National Park Service.

What We Know So Far

Marine mammals, which include dolphins, whales and seals, strand for a variety of reasons. While the investigation into this die-off continues, it appears to be affecting all age and sex classes of animals from the Coastal Migratory Stock of bottlenose dolphins. Strandings to date have included a few live animals with the majority comprised of dead animals with many already very decomposed. A number of dolphins have been found with lesions on their skin, mouth, joints, or lungs.

After completing initial diagnostic tests on more than two dozen animals from all affected states and consulting with disease experts, we have determined that the likely primary cause of this event is a virus -- the cetacean morbillivirus, which is similar to measles in humans or canine distemper in dogs.

To date, 32 dolphins tested from all five states are either suspect or confirmed positive for morbillivirus. For 11 samples, genetic sequencing has confirmed this finding. Veterinary pathologists have also looked at eight animals and determined that detected changes in dolphin tissues are consistent with morbillivirus infection in all tissues analyzed. Additional testing is being conducted on 27 other animals.

A few tested animals were found to also have Brucella sp. bacteria lesions in their joints or brain tissue. Brucella is a type of bacteria that causes brucellosis and has been implicated in other marine mammal stranding cases in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific coasts since 2010. Brucella has never been documented in humans after direct exposure to marine mammals, though there was a single case of occupational exposure in a laboratory worker who was collecting samples from an infected dolphin. Therefore, the risk of transmission of Brucella bacteria to animal care workers is likely low.

?We are very grateful to the scientists and technicians who are engaged in the ongoing testing that enabled us to make this preliminary determination and who will help us further as the investigation continues,? said Rowles. "The diagnostic labs assisting NOAA and the Stranding Network with the analytical aspect of this investigation include: the University of California, Davis; University of Florida; University of Georgia; and New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania."

Just over 25 years ago there was a similar outbreak of morbillivirus in the Coastal Migratory stock of bottlenose dolphins along the Mid-Atlantic during 1987-1988.

?About 50% of the coastal migratory bottlenose dolphin stock was affected, leading to the stock being classified as ?Depleted? under the Marine Mammal Protection Act,? said Rowles. ?So we are obviously very concerned this particular stock may be reduced even further, and we are committed to doing everything we can to better understand how the virus is affecting the population.?

What is Morbillivirus?

Morbilliviruses are usually spread through the air or direct contact between animals, including between mothers and young. Cetacean morbillivirus affects the lungs, brain and immune system of dolphins causing illness and death. While this virus can easily spread among dolphin populations since the animals are highly social, it is not infectious to humans.

Morbilliviruses are naturally occurring pathogens in marine mammal populations, and because these viruses suppress the immune system, many animals ultimately die from secondary infections. Not all dolphins exposed to morbillivirus will die from these infections, but a large proportion may not survive.

Unfortunately, there is no way to currently stop the spread of the virus. There are no vaccines or anti-viral medications available to administer to wild dolphin populations in an effective or practical manner. However, what we can do is learn more about any other factors that could be making these animals more vulnerable to the spread of this disease and try to address and mitigate them to reduce additional stressors. Therefore, it is important that we continue our investigation.

What You Can Do to Help!


If members of the public find a live or dead stranded marine mammal, they should immediately call the local marine mammal stranding network which will send trained responders to evaluate the animal and take the next appropriate steps.

• In the Northeast U.S. call 1-866-755-6622
• In the Southeast U.S. call 1-877-WHALE HELP (1-877-942-5343)

For additional information on how to help a stranded marine mammal, please see:

http://www.nero.noaa.gov/prot_res/stranding/HelpingStrandedMarineLife.pdf
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/protected_resources/marine_mammal_health_and_stranding_response_progra m/documents/seus_stranding_brochure_final_2010.pdf

Next Steps

Further studies, in collaboration with several NOAA Fisheries laboratories and science centers, stranding network members, non-profit research organizations and academic partners will continue over the next several months as new animals are found or new evidence determines the direction of the investigation. These rigorous investigations may take several more months to complete. However, we will make every effort to make these data available to the public, as quickly as scientifically possible, on our UME website http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/mmume/midatldolphins2013.html

Click here for Audio from 8/26/13 media availability.

http://www.nero.noaa.gov/stories/2013/bottlenoseDolphinAnnouncement.html

[Pathfinder]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches - likely primary cause is a virus -- the cetacean morbillivirus

2013 Bottlenose Dolphin Unusual Mortality Event in the Mid-Atlantic

Overview

Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (as amended), an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) has been declared for bottlenose dolphins in the Mid-Atlantic region from early July 2013 through the present. Elevated strandings of bottlenose dolphins have occurred in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Dolphin strandings have also increased in North Carolina.

Current bottlenose dolphin strandings are over nine times the historical average for the months of July and August for the Mid-Atlantic Region. All age classes of bottlenose dolphins are involved and strandings range from a few live animals to mostly dead animals with many very decomposed. Many dolphins have presented with lesions on their skin, mouth, joints, or lungs.

...
<TABLE border=1 cellSpacing=0 summary="Weekly Bottlenose Dolphin Strandings" cellPadding=3 align=center><CAPTION>Weekly Bottlenose Dolphin Strandings, through September 9, 2013</CAPTION><TBODY><TR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(183,222,232)" vAlign=top align=center><TD>Week of:</TD><TD>NY</TD><TD>NJ</TD><TD>DE</TD><TD>MD</TD><TD>VA</TD><TD>NC</TD><TD>Weekly Totals</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=center><TD>July 1</TD><TD>3</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>3</TD><TD>3</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(210,234,240)">9</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=center><TD>July 8</TD><TD>3</TD><TD>2</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>2</TD><TD>5</TD><TD>0</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(210,234,240)">13</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=center><TD>July 15</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>5</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>2</TD><TD>7</TD><TD>4</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(210,234,240)">19</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=center><TD>July 22</TD><TD>4</TD><TD>8</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>3</TD><TD>17</TD><TD>2</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(210,234,240)">34</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=center><TD>July 29</TD><TD>6</TD><TD>11</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>29</TD><TD>2</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(210,234,240)">49</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=center><TD>Aug 5</TD><TD>6</TD><TD>10</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>23</TD><TD>3</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(210,234,240)">43</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=center><TD>Aug 12</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>22</TD><TD>2</TD><TD>4</TD><TD>46</TD><TD>10</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(210,234,240)">85</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=center><TD>Aug 19</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>13</TD><TD>7</TD><TD>4</TD><TD>49</TD><TD>20</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(210,234,240)">94</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=center><TD>Aug 26</TD><TD>5</TD><TD>4</TD><TD>8</TD><TD>9</TD><TD>43</TD><TD>6</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(210,234,240)">75</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=center><TD>Sept 2</TD><TD>1</TD><TD>8</TD><TD>3</TD><TD>8</TD><TD>20</TD><TD>6</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(210,234,240)">46</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=center><TD>Sept 9</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>0</TD><TD>7</TD><TD>2</TD><TD>0</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(210,234,240)">9</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(210,234,240)" vAlign=top align=center><TD>Total</TD><TD>31</TD><TD>83</TD><TD>22</TD><TD>40</TD><TD>244</TD><TD>56</TD><TD>476</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Morbillivirus

The tentative cause of the UME is being attributed to cetacean morbillivirus, based upon preliminary diagnostic testing and discussion with disease experts. Here are our results showing the total number of morbillivirus cases identified so far. The information will be updated as results become available.

The UME investigation is still ongoing and additional contributory factors to the UME are under investigation including other pathogens, biotoxins, range expansion, etc. Further evaluations will continue over the next several months as new animals are found or new evidence determines the direction of the investigation. These rigorous investigations may take several more months to complete. Additional studies are underway to better understand the characteristics of morbillivirus and the potential impacts of this virus on dolphin stocks. These studies are in collaboration with several NOAA laboratories and science centers, stranding network members, non-profit research organizations and academic partners.

...

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/mmume/midatldolphins2013.html

[Emily]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches - likely primary cause is a virus -- the cetacean morbillivirus

http://www.livescience.com/39214-eas...use-virus.html

...As they continue to monitor the outbreak, the researchers say they are investigating other factors that may have made the animals more susceptible to the virus. Rowles said they will test for contaminants to see if dolphins with high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or other man-made toxins were affected more severely.

Studies like this in the past have pointed to pollution as actually being the primary cause of epidemics:

Science of The Total Environment

Volume 154, Issues 2?3, 16 September 1994, Pages 237?247

Marine Pollution - Mammals and Toxic Contaminants

Abnormally high polychlorinated biphenyl levels in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) affected by the 1990?1992 Mediterranean epizootic

Alex AguilarCorresponding author contact information,
Asunci?n Borrell

Department of Animal Biology (Vertebrates), Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona 08071 Barcelona, Spain

Abstract

PCB concentrations and total lipid content were determined in the blubber and liver of striped dolphins affected by the 1990 morbillivirus epizootic in the Mediterranean Sea, and in the blubber of striped dolphins from the same area sampled with a biopsy dart in 1987?1989 and 1991. PCB levels were found to be significantly higher in the individuals that succumbed to the epizootic than in the ?healthy? population sampled before or after the event. Although recent mobilization of lipid reserves was found to have occurred in some of the diseased dolphins, this had little effect on their PCB blubber concentrations and cannot explain the observed difference with the healthy individuals. Three hypotheses are put forward to explain the apparent link between high PCB levels and mortality caused by the epizootic: (i) depressed immunocompetence caused by PCBs leading to an increase in individual susceptibility to the morbillivirus infection, (ii) mobilization of fat reserves leading to increased PCB levels in blood which, in turn, may produce a liver lesion capable of increasing the individual's susceptibility to the morbillivirus infection, and (iii) previous existence of an unspecific hepatic lesion producing impairment of the liver function which, in turn, could lead to an increase both in tissue PCB concentrations and in individual susceptibility to the morbillivirus infection.

[Emily]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches - likely primary cause is a virus -- the cetacean morbillivirus

http://www.wtma.com/common/more.php?...DE6840A&mode=2

Dolphins Washing Up on Shore in SC Test Positive for Virus
1:05AM Thursday
October 24, 2013
CHARLESTON, S.C.) -- At least eight dolphins have washed up on beaches as far south as Hilton Head Island, killed by a virus plaguing dolphins along the East Coast...

[Shiloh]

Re: Dolphin deaths higher than normal along U.S. East Coast beaches - likely primary cause is a virus -- the cetacean morbillivirus

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/science/dolph...too-8C11565411

Dolphin-killing virus reaches Florida, and is infecting whales, too
Nidhi Subbaraman NBC News
46 minutes ago

The bottlenose dolphin die-off that began in July has been traveling steadily south with migrating Atlantic herds, and now diseased and dead dolphins are turning up in Florida. The culprit, a measles-like virus, has claimed 753 victims and counting, making this the worst outbreak ever recorded. Recently, the bug has also been spotted in two species of whale.

Three humpback whales and two pygmy whales, stranded and decaying, tested positive for the dolphin morbillivirus, preliminary sequencing has confirmed. NOAA researchers are doing more tests to find out if it was the virus, usually rare in these animals, that killed them...