Tuberculosis in wild South American sea lions Otaria flavescens stranded in Chubut, Argentina

Pinniped tuberculosis, commonly caused by Mycobacterium pinnipedii, is a zoonotic disease reported in free-living and captive otariid species of the southern hemisphere. Currently, data concerning pinniped tuberculosis in South America are scarce, reinforcing the need for further studies of the dise...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Fiorito, Carla Daniela, Marfil, Maria Jimena, Falzoni, Elvira María, Martínez Vivot, Marcela, Zumárraga, Martín José, Lombardo, Daniel, Barandiaran, Soledad
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:Argentina
Recursos:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/142221
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/142221
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS COMPLEX
PINNIPEDS
PUBLIC HEALTH
TUBERCULOSIS
ZOONOSIS
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/4.3
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/4
Descrição
Resumo:Pinniped tuberculosis, commonly caused by Mycobacterium pinnipedii, is a zoonotic disease reported in free-living and captive otariid species of the southern hemisphere. Currently, data concerning pinniped tuberculosis in South America are scarce, reinforcing the need for further studies of the disease in free-ranging pinnipeds. In this study, we investigated the presence of tuberculosis in South American sea lions Otaria flavescens (SASLs) stranded along the Chubut coastline (Argentina). Necropsies were performed in 9 SASLs, and tissue samples were collected for histopathology, bacteriology, and molecular diagnosis. Four SASLs showed enlarged tracheobronchial lymph nodes (TBLNs) with multifocal to coalescing granulomas. In these animals, a direct IS6110-PCR amplification confirmed the presence of a Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex member in TBLNs (n = 4) and lungs (n = 2), but the agent could not be further identified. In one SASL, Mycobacterium murale was isolated from lungs without lesions. This study confirms the presence of tuberculosis in SASLs from Chubut, where tourist activities promote close interaction with the animals, generating a potential risk to human health. Further research is currently focusing on addressing the prevalence of tuberculosis in wild SASLs, to assess the risk for public health and develop management strategies to avoid human infection.