Comparative Pathology of Nocardiosis in Marine Mammals.

The article examines the nine cases of nocardiosis in free-ranging pinnipeds and ten cases of nocardiosis in cetaceans. The study showed that the most common presentation of the disease in the animals was the systemic form and the organs that most frequently affected were lung and thoracic lymph nodes. Meanwhile, the bacterial isolation and molecular identification demonstrated a variety of pathogenic species. Based on the results, the researchers concluded that both juvenile individuals of pinnipeds and cetaceans were affected more than the adults.