17 results on '"Marina Arregui"'
Search Results
2. Establishment of a fish model to study gas-bubble lesions
- Author
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Alicia Velázquez-Wallraf, Antonio Fernández, María José Caballero, Marina Arregui, Óscar González Díaz, Mónica B. Betancor, and Yara Bernaldo de Quirós
- Subjects
Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Abstract Decompression sickness (DCS) is a clinical syndrome caused by the formation of systemic intravascular and extravascular gas bubbles. The presence of these bubbles in blood vessels is known as gas embolism. DCS has been described in humans and animals such as sea turtles and cetaceans. To delve deeper into DCS, experimental models in terrestrial mammals subjected to compression/decompression in a hyperbaric chamber have been used. Fish can suffer from gas bubble disease (GBD), characterized by the formation of intravascular and extravascular systemic gas bubbles, similarly to that observed in DCS. Given these similarities and the fact that fish develop this disease naturally in supersaturated water, they could be used as an alternative experimental model for the study of the pathophysiological aspect of gas bubbles. The objective of this study was to obtain a reproducible model for GBD in fish by an engineering system and a complete pathological study, validating this model for the study of the physiopathology of gas related lesions in DCS. A massive and severe GBD was achieved by exposing the fish for 18 h to TDG values of 108–109%, characterized by the presence of severe hemorrhages and the visualization of massive quantities of macroscopic and microscopic gas bubbles, systemically distributed, circulating through different large vessels of experimental fish. These pathological findings were the same as those described in small mammals for the study of explosive DCS by hyperbaric chamber, validating the translational usefulness of this first fish model to study the gas-bubbles lesions associated to DCS from a pathological standpoint.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. First Case of Brevetoxicosis Linked to Rough-Toothed Dolphin (Steno bredanensis) Mass-Mortality Event in Eastern Central Atlantic Ocean: A Climate Change Effect?
- Author
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Antonio Fernández, Eva Sierra, Manuel Arbelo, Ana Gago-Martínez, Jose Manuel Leao Martins, Natalia García-Álvarez, Yara Bernaldo de Quiros, Marina Arregui, Ana Isabel Vela, and Josue Díaz-Delgado
- Subjects
biotoxin ,Karenia brevis ,Harmful algal bloom ,climate change ,PbTx ,Science ,General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution ,QH1-199.5 - Abstract
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been increasingly recorded over the last decades and much work has linked these events to multiple oceanographic and climate disturbances. HABs can affect ecosystems either as events that affect dissolved oxygen, clog fish gills, or smother corals or through the production of biotoxins which affect living marine resources through food web transfers or aerosols. HAB represent a natural driver of decline and potential extinction of aquatic organisms, from invertebrates to mammals, which may offer little evolutionary adaptation particularly in very high and long-lasting exposures. Despite numerous multispecies mass-mortality events linked to HAB-associated biotoxicosis globally, there are no records in cetaceans off the central eastern Atlantic Ocean. Herein, we report the epidemiology, pathologic, microbiologic and toxicologic investigation results attesting to the first documentation of cetacean mass-mortality in European waters associated with brevetoxins. Twelve rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) were found dead adrift or beached along the southwestern coast of Gran Canaria from April 28th to May 7th, 2008. Although pathologic examinations were limited by moderate to advanced autolysis and decomposition of the carcasses, consistent findings included multisystemic hemorrhage and undigested ingesta within the gastric compartments, mainly salema porgy (Sarpa salpa). Toxicologic analysis of gastric contents identified PbTx2 and PbTx3 brevetoxins. Our results provide compelling toxicopathologic evidence of fatal brevetoxicosis in a cohort of rough-toothed dolphins. These data add to the limited knowledge on pathology of HAB in cetaceans and provide the first account of brevetoxicosis in European waters. No other mass-mortality or individual fatality of any cetacean species has been linked to brevetoxicosis in the Canary Islands since this event.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Retrospective Study of Fishery Interactions in Stranded Cetaceans, Canary Islands
- Author
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Raquel Puig-Lozano, Antonio Fernández, Eva Sierra, Pedro Saavedra, Cristian M. Suárez-Santana, Jesús De la Fuente, Josué Díaz-Delgado, Ana Godinho, Natalia García-Álvarez, Daniele Zucca, Aina Xuriach, Marina Arregui, Idaira Felipe-Jiménez, Francesco Consoli, Pablo J. Díaz-Santana, Simone Segura-Göthlin, Nakita Câmara, Miguel A. Rivero, Simona Sacchini, Yara Bernaldo de Quirós, and Manuel Arbelo
- Subjects
fisherman aggressions ,peracute underwater entrapment ,entanglement ,bycatch ,Bryde's whale ,Atlantic spotted dolphin ,Veterinary medicine ,SF600-1100 - Abstract
Estimating cetacean interactions with fishery activities is challenging. Bycatch and chronic entanglements are responsible for thousands of cetacean deaths per year globally. This study represents the first systematic approach to the postmortem investigation of fishery interactions in stranded cetaceans in the Canary Islands. We retrospectively studied 586 cases necropsied between January 2000 and December 2018. Of the cases with a known cause of death, 7.4% (32/453) were due to fishery interactions, and the Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) was the most affected species [46.9% (15/32)]. Three types of fishery interactions were recognized by gross findings: bycatch [65.6% (21/32)], chronic entanglements [18.8% (6/32)], and fishermen aggression [15.6% (5/32)]. Among the bycaught cases, we differentiated the dolphins that died because of ingestion of longline hooks [23.8% (5/21)] from those that died because of fishing net entrapments [76.2% (16/21)], including dolphins that presumably died at depth due to peracute underwater entrapment (PUE) [37.5% (6/16)], dolphins that were hauled out alive and suffered additional trauma during handling [43.8% (7/16)], and those that were released alive but became stranded and died because of fishery interactions [18.7% (3/16)]. Gross and histologic findings of animals in each group were presented and compared. The histological approach confirmed gross lesions and excluded other possible causes of death. Cetaceans in good-fair body condition and shallow diving species were significantly more affected by fishery interactions, in agreement with the literature. Low rates of fishery interactions have been described, compared with other regions. However, within the last few years, sightings of entangled live whales, especially the minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and Bryde's whale (B. edeni), have increased. This study contributes to further improvement of the evaluation of different types of fishery interactions and may facilitate the enforcement of future conservation policies to preserve cetacean populations in the Canary Islands.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. Pulmonary and Systemic Skeletal Muscle Embolism in a Beaked Whale with a Massive Trauma of Unknown Aetiology
- Author
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Eva Sierra, Tania Ramírez, Yara Bernaldo de Quirós, Marina Arregui, Blanca Mompeó, Miguel A. Rivero, and Antonio Fernández
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skeletal muscle ,rete mirabile ,embolism ,beaked whales ,pathology ,cetaceans ,Veterinary medicine ,SF600-1100 ,Zoology ,QL1-991 - Abstract
An adult female Sowerby’s beaked whale was found floating dead in Hermigua (La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain) on 7 December 2016. Severe traumas of unknown aetiology were attributed, and the gross and microscopic findings are consistent with catastrophic trauma as a cause of death. Rib fractures affected the intercostals, transverse thoracis skeletal muscles, and thoracic rete mirabile. Degenerated muscle fibres were extruded to flow into vascular and lymphatic vessels travelling to several anatomic locations into the thoracic cavity, including the lungs, where they occluded the small lumen of pulmonary microvasculature. A pulmonary and systemic skeletal muscle embolism was diagnosed, constituting the first description of this kind of embolism in an animal. The only previous description has been reported in a woman after peritoneal dialysis. Skeletal pulmonary embolism should be considered a valuable diagnostic for different types of trauma in vivo in wild animals. This is especially valuable when working with decomposed carcasses, as in those cases, it is not always feasible to assess other traumatic evidence.
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. Fat Embolism and Sperm Whale Ship Strikes
- Author
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Marina Arregui, Yara Bernaldo de Quirós, Pedro Saavedra, Eva Sierra, Cristian M. Suárez-Santana, Manuel Arbelo, Josué Díaz-Delgado, Raquel Puig-Lozano, Marisa Andrada, and Antonio Fernández
- Subjects
sperm whale ,antemortem ,fat embolism ,Canary Islands ,ship strike ,Science ,General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution ,QH1-199.5 - Abstract
Strikes between vessels and cetaceans have significantly increased worldwide in the last decades. The Canary Islands archipelago is a geographical area with an important overlap of high cetacean diversity and maritime traffic, including high-speed ferries. Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), currently listed as a vulnerable species, are severely impacted by ship strikes. Nearly 60% of sperm whales’ deaths are due to ship strikes in the Canary Islands. In such cases, subcutaneous, muscular and visceral extensive hemorrhages and hematomas, indicate unequivocal antemortem trauma. However, when carcasses are highly autolyzed, it is challenging to distinguish whether the trauma occurred ante- or post-mortem. The presence of fat emboli within the lung microvasculature is used to determine a severe “in vivo” trauma in other species. We hypothesized fat emboli detection could be a feasible, reliable and accurate forensic tool to determine ante-mortem ship strikes in stranded sperm whales, even in decomposed carcasses. In this study, we evaluated the presence of fat emboli by using an osmium tetroxide (OsO4)-based histochemical technique in lung tissue of 24 sperm whales, 16 of them with evidence of ship strike, stranded and necropsied in the Canaries between 2000 and 2017. About 70% of them presented an advanced autolysis. Histological examination revealed the presence of OsO4-positive fat emboli in 13 out of the 16 sperm whales with signs of ship strike, and two out of eight of the “control” group, with varying degrees of abundance and distribution. A classification and regression tree was developed to assess the cut off of fat emboli area determining the high or low probability for diagnosing ship-strikes, with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 100%. The results demonstrated: (1) the usefulness of fat detection as a diagnostic tool for “in vivo” trauma, even in decomposed tissues kept in formaldehyde for long periods of time; and (2) that, during this 18-year period, at least, 81% of the sperm whales with signs of ship strike were alive at the moment of the strike and died subsequently. This information is highly valuable in order to implement proper mitigation measures in this area.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
7. Myoglobin Concentration and Oxygen Stores in Different Functional Muscle Groups from Three Small Cetacean Species
- Author
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Marina Arregui, Emily M. Singleton, Pedro Saavedra, D. Ann Pabst, Michael J. Moore, Eva Sierra, Miguel A. Rivero, Nakita Câmara, Misty Niemeyer, Andreas Fahlman, William A. McLellan, and Yara Bernaldo de Quirós
- Subjects
D. delphis ,S. coeruleoalba ,S. frontalis ,muscle mass ,heterogeneity ,aerobic dive limit ,Veterinary medicine ,SF600-1100 ,Zoology ,QL1-991 - Abstract
Compared with terrestrial mammals, marine mammals possess increased muscle myoglobin concentrations (Mb concentration, g Mb · 100g−1 muscle), enhancing their onboard oxygen (O2) stores and their aerobic dive limit. Although myoglobin is not homogeneously distributed, cetacean muscle O2 stores have been often determined by measuring Mb concentration from a single muscle sample (longissimus dorsi) and multiplying that value by the animal’s locomotor muscle or total muscle mass. This study serves to determine the accuracy of previous cetacean muscle O2 stores calculations. For that, body muscles from three delphinid species: Delphinus delphis, Stenella coeruleoalba, and Stenella frontalis, were dissected and weighed. Mb concentration was calculated from six muscles/muscle groups (epaxial, hypaxial and rectus abdominis; mastohumeralis; sternohyoideus; and dorsal scalenus), each representative of different functional groups (locomotion powering swimming, pectoral fin movement, feeding and respiration, respectively). Results demonstrated that the Mb concentration was heterogeneously distributed, being significantly higher in locomotor muscles. Locomotor muscles were the major contributors to total muscle O2 stores (mean 92.8%) due to their high Mb concentration and large muscle masses. Compared to this method, previous studies assuming homogenous Mb concentration distribution likely underestimated total muscle O2 stores by 10% when only considering locomotor muscles and overestimated them by 13% when total muscle mass was considered.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. Capture Myopathy and Stress Cardiomyopathy in a Live-Stranded Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus) in Rehabilitation
- Author
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Nakita Câmara, Eva Sierra, Antonio Fernández, Manuel Arbelo, Yara Bernaldo de Quirós, Marina Arregui, Francesco Consoli, and Pedro Herráez
- Subjects
animal conservation ,animal welfare ,cetaceans ,biochemistry ,histopathology ,immunohistochemistry ,Veterinary medicine ,SF600-1100 ,Zoology ,QL1-991 - Abstract
Capture myopathy (CM) is described in wild animals as a metabolic syndrome resulting from the extreme stress suffered during and after capture, handling, restraint, and transport. Although CM has been characterized in many species of cetaceans, descriptions of cardiac injury—an important component of this syndrome, and, according to previous authors, comparable to the existing human pathology so-called stress cardiomyopathy (SCMP)—are still rare. Therefore, the main aim of this report is to illustrate, for the first time, the biochemical analysis, and gross, histopathological, histochemical and immunohistochemical features of CM, and more specifically of the SCMP involved in this syndrome, caused by the live-stranding and consequent rehabilitation attempt, for a certain period of time, in a juvenile male Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus). The animal presented elevated values of creatine kinase, cardiac troponin I and blood urea nitrogen, with some variations during the rehabilitation period. Histologically, we detected vascular changes and acute degenerative lesions analogous to the ones observed in humans with SCMP. We consider this study to be an important contribution to the study of cetaceans since it could help in decision-making and treatment procedures during live-strandings and improve conservation efforts by reducing the mortality of these animals.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
9. Cerebral nasitremiasis in a Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) stranded in the Canary Islands
- Author
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Idaira Felipe-Jiménez, Antonio Fernández, Yara Bernaldo de Quirós, Marina Arregui-Gil, Raquel Puig-Lozano, Manuel Arbelo, and Eva Sierra
- Subjects
General Veterinary - Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
10. Myoglobin Concentration and Oxygen Stores in Different Functional Muscle Groups from Three Small Cetacean Species
- Author
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Misty Niemeyer, Miguel Rivero, William A. McLellan, Andreas Fahlman, Nakita Câmara, Marina Arregui, Pedro Saavedra, Yara Bernaldo de Quiros, Emily M. Singleton, D. Ann Pabst, Michael J. Moore, and Eva Sierra
- Subjects
chemistry.chemical_element ,Stenella coeruleoalba ,Muscle mass ,Oxygen ,S. coeruleoalba ,Article ,D. delphis ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,biology.animal ,lcsh:Zoology ,Respiration ,lcsh:QL1-991 ,S. frontalis ,lcsh:Veterinary medicine ,General Veterinary ,biology ,Chemistry ,Fish fin ,Anatomy ,Stenella ,aerobic dive limit ,Myoglobin ,Single muscle ,muscle mass ,lcsh:SF600-1100 ,Animal Science and Zoology ,heterogeneity - Abstract
Compared with terrestrial mammals, marine mammals possess increased muscle myoglobin concentrations (Mb concentration, g Mb · 100g−1 muscle), enhancing their onboard oxygen (O2) stores and their aerobic dive limit. Although myoglobin is not homogeneously distributed, cetacean muscle O2 stores have been often determined by measuring Mb concentration from a single muscle sample (longissimus dorsi) and multiplying that value by the animal’s locomotor muscle or total muscle mass. This study serves to determine the accuracy of previous cetacean muscle O2 stores calculations. For that, body muscles from three delphinid species: Delphinus delphis, Stenella coeruleoalba, and Stenella frontalis, were dissected and weighed. Mb concentration was calculated from six muscles/muscle groups (epaxial, hypaxial and rectus abdominis, mastohumeralis, sternohyoideus, and dorsal scalenus), each representative of different functional groups (locomotion powering swimming, pectoral fin movement, feeding and respiration, respectively). Results demonstrated that the Mb concentration was heterogeneously distributed, being significantly higher in locomotor muscles. Locomotor muscles were the major contributors to total muscle O2 stores (mean 92.8%) due to their high Mb concentration and large muscle masses. Compared to this method, previous studies assuming homogenous Mb concentration distribution likely underestimated total muscle O2 stores by 10% when only considering locomotor muscles and overestimated them by 13% when total muscle mass was considered.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
11. Lipids of lung and lung fat emboli of the toothed whales (Odontoceti)
- Author
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Hillary Lane Glandon, Francesco Consoli, Heather N. Koopman, Antonio Fernández, Yara Bernaldo de Quirós, Maria Jose Caballero, Idaira Felipe-Jiménez, and Marina Arregui
- Subjects
030110 physiology ,0301 basic medicine ,Future studies ,Lipid composition ,Diving ,lcsh:Medicine ,Physiology ,Embolism, Fat ,Pathogenesis ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,medicine ,Animals ,Fat embolism ,lcsh:Science ,Lung ,Phylogeny ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,lcsh:R ,Whales ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Lipids ,Ziphius cavirostris ,respiratory tract diseases ,030104 developmental biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Lipid content ,lcsh:Q ,lipids (amino acids, peptides, and proteins) ,Fatty acid composition ,Lung tissue ,Pulmonary Embolism ,Zoology - Abstract
Lipids are biomolecules present in all living organisms that, apart from their physiological functions, can be involved in different pathologies. One of these pathologies is fat embolism, which has been described histologically in the lung of cetaceans in association with ship strikes and with gas and fat embolic syndrome. To assess pathological lung lipid composition, previous knowledge of healthy lung tissue lipid composition is essential; however, these studies are extremely scarce in cetaceans. In the present study we aimed first, to characterize the lipids ordinarily present in the lung tissue of seven cetacean species; and second, to better understand the etiopathogenesis of fat embolism by comparing the lipid composition of lungs positive for fat emboli, and those negative for emboli in Physeter macrocephalus and Ziphius cavirostris (two species in which fat emboli have been described). Results showed that lipid content and lipid classes did not differ among species or diving profiles. In contrast, fatty acid composition was significantly different between species, with C16:0 and C18:1ω9 explaining most of the differences. This baseline knowledge of healthy lung tissue lipid composition will be extremely useful in future studies assessing lung pathologies involving lipids. Concerning fat embolism, non-significant differences could be established between lipid content, lipid classes, and fatty acid composition. However, an unidentified peak was only found in the chromatogram for the two struck whales and merits further investigation.
- Published
- 2020
12. Deadly acute Decompression Sickness in Risso’s dolphins
- Author
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Cristian M. Suárez-Santana, Eva Sierra, Y. Sánchez-Paz, Simona Sacchini, Manuel Arbelo, Josué Díaz-Delgado, Marina Arregui, Y. Bernaldo de Quirós, and Antonio Fernández
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,Liver chemistry ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Chromatography, Gas ,Dolphins ,Science ,Zoology ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Article ,Decompression sickness ,03 medical and health sciences ,medicine ,Gas analysis ,Animals ,Grampus griseus ,Multidisciplinary ,biology ,business.industry ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,Decompression Sickness ,Surgery ,030104 developmental biology ,Liver ,Medicine ,Female ,Gases ,business ,Liver pathology - Abstract
Diving air-breathing vertebrates have long been considered protected against decompression sickness (DCS) through anatomical, physiological, and behavioural adaptations. However, an acute systemic gas and fat embolic syndrome similar to DCS in human divers was described in beaked whales that stranded in temporal and spatial association with military exercises involving high-powered sonar. More recently, DCS has been diagnosed in bycaught sea turtles. Both cases were linked to human activities. Two Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) out of 493 necropsied cetaceans stranded in the Canary Islands in a 16-year period (2000–2015), had a severe acute decompression sickness supported by pathological findings and gas analysis. Deadly systemic, inflammatory, infectious, or neoplastic diseases, ship collision, military sonar, fisheries interaction or other type of lethal inducing associated trauma were ruled out. Struggling with a squid during hunting is discussed as the most likely cause of DCS.
- Published
- 2017
13. Capture Myopathy and Stress Cardiomyopathy in a Live-Stranded Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus) in Rehabilitation
- Author
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Manuel Arbelo, Marina Arregui, Antonio Fernández, Nakita Câmara, Yara Bernaldo de Quirós, Pedro Herráez, Eva Sierra, and Francesco Consoli
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,040301 veterinary sciences ,Cardiomyopathy ,Physiology ,Case Report ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,animal welfare ,0403 veterinary science ,cetaceans ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,lcsh:Zoology ,medicine ,Juvenile ,biochemistry ,Grampus griseus ,lcsh:QL1-991 ,Blood urea nitrogen ,lcsh:Veterinary medicine ,General Veterinary ,biology ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,animal conservation ,immunohistochemistry ,biology.protein ,histopathology ,lcsh:SF600-1100 ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Creatine kinase ,Histopathology ,Metabolic syndrome ,Human Pathology - Abstract
Simple Summary Free-living cetaceans are threatened, daily, by a wide variety of stressful situations. An example is provided by live-stranding, in which a cetacean is alive on the beach or in shallow water, and unable to free itself and resume its normal activity. This is the first case of capture myopathy and stress cardiomyopathy in a live-stranded juvenile male Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) with subsequent rehabilitation attempted. Valuable use of blood samples, and finally necropsy assessments, advances our understanding about the pathology common in live-stranded cetaceans. Abstract Capture myopathy (CM) is described in wild animals as a metabolic syndrome resulting from the extreme stress suffered during and after capture, handling, restraint, and transport. Although CM has been characterized in many species of cetaceans, descriptions of cardiac injury—an important component of this syndrome, and, according to previous authors, comparable to the existing human pathology so-called stress cardiomyopathy (SCMP)—are still rare. Therefore, the main aim of this report is to illustrate, for the first time, the biochemical analysis, and gross, histopathological, histochemical and immunohistochemical features of CM, and more specifically of the SCMP involved in this syndrome, caused by the live-stranding and consequent rehabilitation attempt, for a certain period of time, in a juvenile male Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus). The animal presented elevated values of creatine kinase, cardiac troponin I and blood urea nitrogen, with some variations during the rehabilitation period. Histologically, we detected vascular changes and acute degenerative lesions analogous to the ones observed in humans with SCMP. We consider this study to be an important contribution to the study of cetaceans since it could help in decision-making and treatment procedures during live-strandings and improve conservation efforts by reducing the mortality of these animals.
- Published
- 2020
14. Comparison of Three Histological Techniques for Fat Emboli Detection in Lung Cetacean's Tissue
- Author
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Yara Bernaldo de Quirós, Antonio Fernández, Angelo Santana, Eva Sierra, Manuel Arbelo, Simona Sacchini, Marina Arregui, and Yania Paz-Sánchez
- Subjects
Pathology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,040301 veterinary sciences ,lcsh:Medicine ,Embolism, Fat ,Trauma ,Article ,0403 veterinary science ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,medicine ,Oil Red O ,Animals ,Fat embolism ,lcsh:Science ,Lung ,Microscopy ,Multidisciplinary ,Staining and Labeling ,Chemistry ,lcsh:R ,Histological Techniques ,0402 animal and dairy science ,Soft tissue ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,medicine.disease ,040201 dairy & animal science ,Staining ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Embolism ,Osmium tetroxide ,Chromic acid ,lcsh:Q ,Cetacea ,Pulmonary Embolism - Abstract
Fat embolism is the mechanical blockage of blood vessels by circulating fat particles. It is frequently related to traumas involving soft tissues and fat-containing bones. Different techniques have been used for decades to demonstrate histologically fat emboli, being the extremely toxic post-fixation with osmium tetroxide one of the most used techniques in the last decades. In the present study, the osmium tetroxide technique was compared qualitatively and quantitatively, for the first time, with chromic acid and Oil Red O frozen techniques for histological fat emboli detection in the lungs of eight sperm whales that died due to ship strikes. This was also the first time that chromic acid technique was tested in cetaceans. Results showed that the three techniques were valuable for the histological detection of fat embolism in cetaceans, even when tissues presented advanced autolysis and had been stored in formaldehyde for years. Although quantitative differences could not be established, the Oil Red O frozen technique showed the lowest quality for fat emboli staining. On the contrary, the chromic acid technique was proven to be a good alternative to osmium tetroxide due to its slightly lower toxicity, its equivalent or even superior capacity of fat emboli detection, and its significantly lower economic cost.
- Published
- 2019
15. Fat Embolism and Sperm Whale Ship Strikes
- Author
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Manuel Arbelo, Marina Arregui, Antonio Fernández, Eva Sierra, Josué Díaz-Delgado, Raquel Puig-Lozano, Marisa Andrada, Yara Bernaldo de Quirós, Pedro Saavedra, and Cristian M. Suárez-Santana
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,fat embolism ,lcsh:QH1-199.5 ,Advanced autolysis ,Zoology ,Ocean Engineering ,Canary Islands ,Aquatic Science ,lcsh:General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution ,Oceanography ,01 natural sciences ,Sperm whale ,antemortem ,medicine ,ship strike ,Fat embolism ,lcsh:Science ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Histological examination ,Water Science and Technology ,Global and Planetary Change ,biology ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,Sperm ,lcsh:Q ,sperm whale ,Lung tissue - Abstract
Strikes between vessels and cetaceans have significantly increased worldwide in the last decades. The Canary Islands archipelago is a geographical area with an important overlap of high cetacean diversity and maritime traffic, including high-speed ferries. Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), currently listed as a vulnerable species, are severely impacted by ship strikes. Nearly 60% of sperm whales’ deaths are due to ship strikes in the Canary Islands. In such cases, subcutaneous, muscular and visceral extensive hemorrhages and hematomas, indicate unequivocal antemortem trauma. However, when carcasses are highly autolyzed, it is challenging to distinguish whether the trauma occurred ante- or post-mortem. The presence of fat emboli within the lung microvasculature is used to determine a severe “in vivo” trauma in other species. We hypothesized fat emboli detection could be a feasible, reliable and accurate forensic tool to determine ante-mortem ship strikes in stranded sperm whales, even in decomposed carcasses. In this study, we evaluated the presence of fat emboli by using an osmium tetroxide (OsO4)-based histochemical technique in lung tissue of 24 sperm whales, 16 of them with evidence of ship strike, stranded and necropsied in the Canaries between 2000 and 2017. About 70% of them presented an advanced autolysis. Histological examination revealed the presence of OsO4-positive fat emboli in 13 out of the 16 sperm whales with signs of ship strike, and two out of eight of the “control” group, with varying degrees of abundance and distribution. A classification and regression tree was developed to assess the cut off of fat emboli area determining the high or low probability for diagnosing ship-strikes, with a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 100%. The results demonstrated: (1) the usefulness of fat detection as a diagnostic tool for “in vivo” trauma, even in decomposed tissues kept in formaldehyde for long periods of time; and (2) that, during this 18-year period, at least, 81% of the sperm whales with signs of ship strike were alive at the moment of the strike and died subsequently. This information is highly valuable in order to implement proper mitigation measures in this area.
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
16. Advances in research on the impacts of anti-submarine sonar on beaked whales
- Author
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Gregory S. Schorr, Antonio Fernández, Robin W. Baird, M. Iñíguez, Manuel Arbelo, Alexander M. Costidis, Heather N. Koopman, Frances M. D. Gulland, D. Allen, Eva Sierra, D. A. Pabst, Wendi D. Roe, Y. Bernaldo de Quirós, N. Aguilar de Soto, Anastasia Komnenou, Mark Johnson, Marisa Tejedor, Robert L. Brownell, Andreas Fahlman, Alexandros Frantzis, and Marina Arregui
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,0303 health sciences ,General Immunology and Microbiology ,Population Dynamics ,Whales ,Submarine ,General Medicine ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Sonar ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Fishery ,03 medical and health sciences ,Geography ,Sound ,Spatial management ,Animals ,Marine mammals and sonar ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,Review Articles ,030304 developmental biology ,General Environmental Science - Abstract
Mass stranding events (MSEs) of beaked whales (BWs) were extremely rare prior to the 1960s but increased markedly after the development of naval mid-frequency active sonar (MFAS). The temporal and spatial associations between atypical BW MSEs and naval exercises were first observed in the Canary Islands, Spain, in the mid-1980s. Further research on BWs stranded in association with naval exercises demonstrated pathological findings consistent with decompression sickness (DCS). A 2004 ban on MFASs around the Canary Islands successfully prevented additional BW MSEs in the region, but atypical MSEs have continued in other places of the world, especially in the Mediterranean Sea, with examined individuals showing DCS. A workshop held in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, in September 2017 reviewed current knowledge on BW atypical MSEs associated with MFAS. Our review suggests that the effects of MFAS on BWs vary among individuals or populations, and predisposing factors may contribute to individual outcomes. Spatial management specific to BW habitat, such as the MFAS ban in the Canary Islands, has proven to be an effective mitigation tool and mitigation measures should be established in other areas taking into consideration known population-level information.
- Published
- 2019
17. Isotopic homogeneity throughout the skin in small cetaceans
- Author
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Asunción Borrell, Marina Arregui, Alex Aguilar, and Marta Josa
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Male ,Isòtops ,Common Dolphins ,Zoology ,Stenella coeruleoalba ,Delphinus delphis ,01 natural sciences ,Mass Spectrometry ,Analytical Chemistry ,Isotopes ,biology.animal ,Animals ,Isotope-ratio mass spectrometry ,Spectroscopy ,Trophic level ,Skin ,Carbon Isotopes ,integumentary system ,biology ,δ13C ,Isotope ,Nitrogen Isotopes ,Chemistry ,Stable isotope ratio ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,010401 analytical chemistry ,Organic Chemistry ,Cetacis ,Pell ,δ15N ,0104 chemical sciences ,Liver ,Female ,Cetacea - Abstract
Rationale: Isotope ratios from skin samples have been widely used to study cetacean trophic ecology. Usually, isotopic skin uniformity has been assumed, despite the heterogeneity of this tissue. This study aims to investigate (1) regional isotopic variation within the skin in cetaceans, and (2) isotopic variation among internal tissues.Methods: Stable carbon (delta C-13 values) and nitrogen (delta N-15 values) isotope ratios were measured in 11 skin positions in 10 common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and 9 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). In addition, the isotope ratios in the muscle, liver and kidney of both species were determined and compared with those from the skin and from all tissues combined. The signatures were determined by means of elemental analyser/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA/IRMS).Results: In both species, no differences between isotope ratios of the skin positions were found. Moreover, the isotope ratios of skin were similar to those of muscle. In contrast, liver and kidney showed higher isotope ratios than muscle and skin.Conclusions: Isotopic homogeneity within the skin suggests that the isotope ratios of a sample from a specific skin position can be considered representative of the ratios from the entire skin tissue in dolphins. This conclusion validates the results of previous stable isotope analyses in dolphins that used skin samples as representative of the whole skin tissue. Isotopic similarities or dissimilarities among tissues should be considered when analysing different tissues and comparing results from the same or different species.
- Published
- 2017
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