Immunohistochemical investigations on Brucella ceti-infected, neurobrucellosis-affected striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba)

Authors

  • Gabriella Di Francesco Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy. Tel.: + 39 0861 332420, e-mail: g.difrancesco@izs.it
  • Antonio Petrini Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
  • Anna Rita D'Angelo Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
  • Ludovica Di Renzo Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
  • Mirella Luciani Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
  • Tiziana Di Febo Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
  • Enzo Ruggieri Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
  • Antonio Petrella Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata, Foggia, Italy.
  • Carla Grattarola Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154, Torino, Italy
  • Barbara Iulini Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Via Bologna 148, 10154, Torino, Italy
  • Osvaldo Matteucci Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy
  • Giuseppe Lucifora Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Portici (NA), Italy
  • Eva Sierra Institute of Animal Health, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Veterinary School, C/Transmontaña s/n, 35416, Arucas, Las Palmas
  • Antonio Fernández Institute of Animal Health, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Veterinary School, C/Transmontaña s/n, 35416, Arucas, Las Palmas
  • Roberto Giacominelli Stuffler Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Località Piano d'Accio, University of Teramo, Italy
  • Clotilde Angelucci Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Località Piano d'Accio, University of Teramo, Italy
  • Marina Baffoni Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Località Piano d'Accio, University of Teramo, Italy
  • Giovanni Di Guardo Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Località Piano d'Accio, University of Teramo, Italy
  • Manuela Tittarelli Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise ‘G. Caporale’, Campo Boario, 64100 Teramo, Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12834/VetIt.1920.10224.2

Keywords:

Brucella ceti, Immunohistochemistry, Neurobrucellosis, Stenella coeruleoalba

Abstract

Bacteria of the genus Brucella cause brucellosis, an infectious disease common to humans as well as to terrestrial and aquatic mammals. Since 1994 several cases of Brucella spp. infection have been reported in marine mammals worldwide. While sero-epidemiological data suggest that Brucella spp. infection is widespread globally, detecting Brucella spp.-associated antigens by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in tissues from infected animals is often troublesome. The present study was aimed at investigating, by means of IHC based upon the utilization of an anti-Brucella LPS monoclonal antibody (MAb), the central nervous system (CNS) immunoreactivity shown by B. ceti-infected, neurobrucellosis-affected striped dolphins. The aforementioned MAb, previously characterized by means of ELISA and Western Blotting techniques, was able to immunohistochemically detect smooth brucellae both within the CNS from B. ceti-infected striped dolphins and within a range of tissues from Brucella spp.-infected domestic ruminants. In conclusion, the results of the present study are of relevance both from the B. ceti infection's diagnostic and pathogenetic standpoints.

References

Alba P., Terracciano G., Franco A., Lorenzetti S., Cocumelli C., Fichi G., Eleni C., Zygmunt M.S., Cloeckaert A. & Battisti A. 2013. The presence of Brucella ceti ST26 in a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) with meningoencephalitis from the Mediterranean Sea. Vet Microbiol ,164, 158-163.

Baucheron S., Grayon M., Zygmunt M.S. & Cloeckaert A. 2002. Lipopolysaccharide heterogeneity in Brucellastrains isolated from marine mammals. Res Microbiol, 153, 277-280.

De Massis F., Zilli K., Di Donato G., Nuvoloni R., Pelini S., Sacchini L., D’Alterio N. & Di Giannatale E. 2019. Distribution of Brucella field strains isolated from livestock, wildlife populations, and humans in Italy from 2007 to 2015. PLoS One, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213689.

Di Febo T., Luciani M., Portanti O., Bonfini B., Lelli R. & Tittarelli M. 2012. Development and evaluation of diagnostic tests for the serological diagnosis of brucellosis in swine. Vet It, 48, 145-156.

Ewalt D.R., Payeur J.B., Martin B.M., Cummins D.R. & Miller W.G. 1994. Characteristics of a Brucella species from a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). J Vet Diagn Invest, 6 (4), 448-452.

Groussaud P., Shankster S.J., Koylass M.S. & Whatmore A.M. 2007. Molecular typing divides marine mammal strainsof Brucella into at least three groups with distinct host preferences. J Med Microbiol, 56, 1512-1518.

Guzmán-Verri C., González-Barrientos R., Hernández-Mora G., Morales J.A., Baquero-Calvo E., Chaves-Olarte E. & Moreno E. 2012. Brucella ceti and brucellosis in cetaceans. Front Cell Infect Microbiol, 2, 3. pmid:22919595.

Isidoro-Ayza M., Ruiz-Villalobos N., Pérez L., Guzmán-Verri C., Muñoz P.M., Alegre F., Barberán M., Chacón-Díaz C., Olarte E.C., Barrientos R.G., Moreno E., Blasco J.M. & Domingo M. 2014. Brucella ceti infection in dolphins from the Western Mediterranean sea. BMC Vet Res, 10, 206.

Nymo I.H., Tryland M. & Godfroid J. 2011. A review of Brucella infection in marine mammals, with special emphasis on Brucella pinnipedialis in the hooded seal (Cystophora cristata). Vet Res, 42, 93.

Portanti O., Tittarelli M., Di Febo T., Luciani M., Mercante M.T., Conte A. & Lelli R. 2006. Development and validation of a competitive ELISA kit for the serological diagnosis of ovine, caprine and bovine Brucellosis. J Vet Med B, 53, 494-498.

World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) 2019. Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis (infection with B. abortus, B. melitensis and B. suis). In Manual of diagnostic tests and vaccines for terrestrial animals, Part 3, Chapter 3.1.4. (version adopted in May 2016), OIE Paris, 355-398.

Downloads

Published

2020-01-20

How to Cite

Di Francesco, G., Petrini, A., D’Angelo, A. R., Di Renzo, L., Luciani, M., Di Febo, T., Ruggieri, E., Petrella, A., Grattarola, C., Iulini, B., Matteucci, O., Lucifora, G., Sierra, E., Fernández, A., Giacominelli Stuffler, R., Angelucci, C., Baffoni, M., Di Guardo, G., & Tittarelli, M. (2020). Immunohistochemical investigations on Brucella ceti-infected, neurobrucellosis-affected striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba). Veterinaria Italiana, 55(4), 363–367. https://doi.org/10.12834/VetIt.1920.10224.2

Issue

Vol. 55 No. 4 (2019)

Topics*

Short communication

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>