The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to sample the blow microbiome of small cetaceans.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies describe the use of UAVs in collecting blow samples from large whales to analyze the microbial and viral community in exhaled air. Unfortunately, attempts to collect blow from small cetaceans have not been successful due to their swimming and diving behavior. In order to overcome these limitations, in this study we investigated the application of a specific sampling tool attached to a UAV to analyze the blow from small cetaceans and their respiratory microbiome. Preliminary trials to set up the sampling tool were conducted on a group of 6 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) under human care, housed at Acquario di Genova, with approximately 1 meter distance between the blowing animal and the tool to obtain suitable samples. The same sampling kit, suspended via a 2 meter

SUBMITTER: Centelleghe C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7332044 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature