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Molecular detection of Vibrio paraheamolyticus in a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) stranding in northern Veracruz, Mexico

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Abstract

On 25 August 2021, a single female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) was found stranded dead in Playa Tuxpan, Veracruz, Mexico. Skin biopsies were obtained and screened for the detection of various potentially pathogenic bacterial genera, using conventional polymerase chain reaction and sequencing of the positive amplicons. We recorded, for the first time, the presence of Vibrio paraheamolyticus in skin samples from P. macrocephalus in the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, we discuss 29 records reporting strandings of sperm whales from six states of the Mexican Republic. Most of the records are concentrated in the Pacific Ocean. Our findings increase the inventory of bacteria reported in P. macrocephalus worldwide, summarising the knowledge of stranding events in sperm whale populations in Mexico.

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Fig. 1
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Code or data availability

Sequences generated in the present study are deposited in GenBank under the following Accession numbers: OM108474 and OM108475 for the mitochondrial genes cytB and COI of P. macrocephalus and OM060690 for 16S of Vibrio.

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to the staff of CONANP for the facilities to carry out this study. Also, to biology students of Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias región Tuxpan (FCBA) for their assistance in the fieldwork.

Funding

Not applicable.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Mamíferos Marinos, Universidad Veracruzana, Km 7.5 Carretera Tuxpan-Tampico, CP 92850, Tuxpan, Veracruz, México

    Arturo Serrano

  2. Instituto de Biotecnología Y Ecología Aplicada, Universidad Veracruzana, Avenida de las Culturas Veracruzanas 101, CP 91090, Xalapa, Veracruz, México

    Pablo Colunga-Salas

  3. Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Y Agropecuarias Región Poza Rica - Tuxpan, Universidad Veracruzana, Km 7.5 Carretera Tuxpan-Tampico, CP 92850, Tuxpan, Veracruz, México

    Sokani Sánchez-Montes

  4. Comisión Nacional de Áreas Protegidas, Oficina Tuxpan, Reforma #26, C.P. 92820, Santiago de la Peña, Veracruz, México

    Blanca Zapata-Najera & Diana Vidal-Muñiz

Authors
  1. Arturo Serrano
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  2. Pablo Colunga-Salas
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  3. Sokani Sánchez-Montes
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  4. Blanca Zapata-Najera
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  5. Diana Vidal-Muñiz
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Contributions

Fieldwork: AS, BZN, DVM.

Conceived and designed the experiments: AS, PCS, SSM.

Performed the experiments: SSM, PCS.

Analyzed the data: AS, PCS, SSM, BZN, DVM.

Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: AS, PCS, SSM.

Wrote the paper: AS, PCS, SSM, BZN, DVM.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Pablo Colunga-Salas or Sokani Sánchez-Montes.

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Conflict of interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted. Also, samples were obtained under the protection of the collection permit SGPA/DGVS/01801/21 provided by the “Dirección de Vida Silvestre” (Directorate of Wildlife).

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Serrano, A., Colunga-Salas, P., Sánchez-Montes, S. et al. Molecular detection of Vibrio paraheamolyticus in a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) stranding in northern Veracruz, Mexico. Vet Res Commun 46, 1303–1309 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-022-10007-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-022-10007-8

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