Using marine mammal necropsy data in animal health surveillance: The case of the harbor porpoise in the Southern North Sea

IJsseldijk, Lonneke L.; van den Broek, Jan; Kik, Marja J. L.; Leopold, Mardik F.; Bravo Rebolledo, Elisa; Gröne, Andrea; Heesterbeek, Hans
Frontiers in Marine Science (2024)

Rapid changes of marine ecosystems resulting from human activities and climate change, and the subsequent reported rise of infectious diseases in marine mammals, highlight the urgency for timely detection of…


TDP-43 and Alzheimer’s disease pathology in the brain of a harbor porpoise exposed to the cyanobacterial toxin BMAA

Garamszegi, Susanna P.; Brzostowicki, Daniel J.; Coyne, Thomas M.; Vontell, Regina T.; Davis, David A.
Toxins (2024)

Cetaceans are well-regarded as sentinels for toxin exposure. Emerging studies suggest that cetaceans can also develop neuropathological changes associated with neurodegenerative disease. The occurrence of neuropathology makes cetaceans an ideal…


Adhesive bowel obstruction (ABO) in a stranded Narrow-ridged finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri)

Lee, S. B.; Yuen, A. H. L.; Lee, Y. M.; Kim, S. W.; Kim, S.; Poon, C. T. C.; Jung, W. J.; Giri, S. S.; Kim, S. G.; Jo, S. J.; Park, J. H.; Hwang, M. H.; Seo, J. P.; Choe, S.; Kim, B. Y.; Park, S. C.
Animals (2023)

In this case report, we present a rare occurrence of a narrow-ridged finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri), discovered on the coast of Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, that was afflicted…


Infection with Pythium flevoense in a harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) as a novel cause of dermatitis in marine mammals

Veldhuis Kroeze, Edwin J. B.; van Elk, Cornelis E.; van de Bildt, Marco W. G.; van Run, Peter R. W. A.; Foster, Geoffrey; Abou-Chakra, Nissrine; Hare, Rasmus Krøger; Kuiken, Thijs
Veterinary Research (2023)

The oomycete Pythium flevoense was diagnosed as the cause of dermatitis in a young adult female harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) that had been trapped in a pound net in a…


Diving on damage – The muscle transcriptome of parasitic infested harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) hints at oxidative stress but not hypoxia

Dönmez, Eda Merve; Siebert, Ursula; Fabrizius, Andrej
Frontiers in Marine Science (2023)

The only native cetacean in German waters, the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), is impacted by numerous pathological lesions in the respiratory tract mainly caused by parasites or bacteria. Although harbor…


Mycotic infections in free-ranging harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

Kapetanou, Athanasia; IJsseldijk, Lonneke L.; Willems, Dorien S.; Broens, Els M.; Everaarts, Eligius; Buil, Jochem B.; Verweij, Paul E.; Kik, Marja J. L.; Gröne, Andrea
Frontiers in Marine Science (2020)

Studies on the occurrence of fungal communities in the marine environment are still scarce, but mycotic infections in cetaceans are increasingly reported. Fungal disease following infection with Aspergillus species is…


After the bite: Bacterial transmission from grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) to harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

Gilbert, Maarten J.; IJsseldijk, Lonneke L.; Rubio-García, Ana; Gröne, Andrea; Duim, Birgitta; Rossen, John; Zomer, Aldert L.; Wagenaar, Jaap A.
Royal Society Open Science (2020)

Recent population growth of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) and common seal (Phoca vitulina) in the North Sea has increased potential interaction between these species. Grey…


Forensic microbiology reveals that Neisseria animaloris infections in harbour porpoises follow traumatic injuries by grey seals

Foster, Geoffrey; Whatmore, Adrian M.; Dagleish, Mark P.; Malnick, Henry; Gilbert, Maarten J.; Begeman, Lineke; Macgregor, Shaheed K.; Davison, Nicholas J.; Roest, Hendrik Jan; Jepson, Paul; Howie, Fiona; Muchowski, Jakub; Brownlow, Andrew C.; Wagenaar, Jaap A.; Kik, Marja J. L.; Deaville, Rob; ten Doeschate, Mariel T. I.; Barley, Jason; Hunter, Laura; IJsseldijk, Lonneke L.
Scientific Reports (2019)

Neisseria animaloris is considered to be a commensal of the canine and feline oral cavities. It is able to cause systemic infections in animals as well as humans, usually after…


Clinical, pathological, and laboratory diagnoses of diseases of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), live stranded on the Dutch and adjacent coasts from 2003 to 2016

van Elk, Cornelis E.; van de Bildt, Marco W. G.; van Run, Peter R. W. A.; Bunskoek, Paulien; Meerbeek, Jolanda; Foster, Geoffrey; Osterhaus, Albert D. M. E.; Kuiken, Thijs
Veterinary Research (2019)

Harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the North Sea live in an environment heavily impacted by humans, the consequences of which are a concern for their health. Autopsies carried out on…