Publications by authors named "Ignacio Vargas-Castro"
Herpesvirus (HV) is widely distributed among cetacean populations, with the highest prevalence reported in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, a comprehensive analysis was conducted, including epidemiological, phylogenetic, and pathological aspects, with particular emphasis on neuropathology, to better understand the impact of HV in these animals. Our results show a higher presence of HV in males compared to females, with males exhibiting a greater number of positive tissues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFspp. are zoonotic pathogens that can affect both terrestrial and marine mammals. has been identified in various cetacean species, but only one sequence type (ST27) has been reported in humans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) has caused several outbreaks, unusual mortality events, and interepidemic single-lethal disease episodes in the Mediterranean Sea. Since 2012, a new strain with a northeast (NE) Atlantic origin has been circulating among Mediterranean cetaceans, causing numerous deaths. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of CeMV in cetaceans stranded in Italy between 2018 and 2021 and characterize the strain of CeMV circulating.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFirst description of a lesion in the upper digestive mucosa associated with a novel gammaherpesvirus in a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded in the Western Mediterranean Sea.
BMC Vet Res
August 2023
Article Synopsis
- - A young female striped dolphin stranded in Spain exhibited serious physical lesions and internal health issues, including congestion in the central nervous system and abnormal growths in the upper digestive area.
- - Tissue samples taken from the dolphin tested negative for cetacean morbillivirus but showed positive results for Brucella spp. and detected herpesvirus in a lesion in the digestive mucosa.
- - This case is significant as it is the first documented instance of gammaherpesvirus-related lesions in the upper digestive system of a striped dolphin.
Article Synopsis
- * The herpesvirus primarily affected the reproductive and nervous systems, with higher rates of infection observed in females and younger cetaceans, including neonates, indicating an active replication of the virus.
- * This research is the first to systematically analyze herpesvirus DNA and RNA in free-ranging cetaceans and also identified concurrent infections with cetacean morbillivirus in some cases, highlighting the need for further investigation into the overall impact of herpesvirus on marine mammal health.
Alpha- and gammaherpesviruses in stranded striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from Spain: first molecular detection of gammaherpesvirus infection in central nervous system of odontocetes.
BMC Vet Res
August 2020
Background: Herpesvirus infections in cetaceans have always been attributed to the Alphaherpesvirinae and Gammaherpesvirinae subfamilies. To date, gammaherpesviruses have not been reported in the central nervous system of odontocetes.
Case Presentation: A mass stranding of 14 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) occurred in Cantabria (Spain) on 18th May 2019.