Deep breath out: molecular survey of selected pathogens in blow and skin biopsies from North Atlantic cetaceans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Cetacean morbillivirus, herpesvirus, avian influenza virus (AIV) and Brucella spp. have been linked to numerous cetacean strandings in the Northeast (NE) Atlantic. Yet, their prevalence in free-living cetaceans remains insufficiently investigated, particularly in northern regions.

Methods

Between 2016 and 2025, humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and, opportunistically, fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) and a long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas), were sampled in two foraging grounds in northern Norway (Skjervøy and Andenes), in Iceland and in Cape Verde. Blow samples (n = 76), skin biopsies (n = 45), and organ samples from one stranded pilot whale were collected and screened for cetacean morbillivirus, herpesvir

SUBMITTER: Costa H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12713300 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature