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Whales in San Francisco Bay

Roughly 30 gray whales have been spotted in the Bay this season, many more than is typical. Sadly, there have also been at least 14 deaths this year, which is more than in all of 2024. 

We are investigating to help determine the cause of these deaths. By gaining insights into what is causing these tragedies, we can better understand how to help prevent them.

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Pacific white-sided dolphin leaping out of the water

Cetacean Morbillivirus in Odontocetes Stranded Along the Central California Coast

Cetacean Morbillivirus in Odontocetes Stranded Along the Central California Coast, 2000–2015
  • Infectious disease
  • Pathology

Abstract

Effects of cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) on dolphins vary from causing epidemics to subclinical infections. The former have been documented in the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea but not in the North Pacific Ocean, and the reasons for this are unknown. To explore the distribution of this virus in areas that have not experienced epidemics, we reviewed evidence for morbilliviral infection in odontocetes stranded along the California coast, US from 2000–15. Nine of 212 animals examined histologically had lesions compatible with morbilliviral infection, and 11 were tested for CeMV via reverse transcriptase-PCR. One striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) was PCR positive, and the sequenced product was most closely related to sequences in two strains found in cetaceans in Hawaii. This study suggests that CeMV may be a cause of morbidity and a rare contributor to mortality in cetaceans stranding along the California coast. Additional work is needed to understand CeMV distribution and host species susceptibility in this region.


Serrano, L., Simeone, C.A., Colegrove, K.M., Duignan, P.J., Goldstein, T., Gulland, F.M.D. 2017. Cetacean morbillivirus in odontocetes stranded along the central California coast, 2000-2015. Journal of Wildlife Diseases. 53(2).

infectious disease
pathology
Pádraig Duignan

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