Hazards of disease transfer from marine mammals to land mammals: review and recent findings
Smith, A.W.; Vedros, N.A.; Akers, T.G.; Gilmartin, W.G.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 173(9): 1131-1133
1978
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-1488 PMID: 738931 Document Number: 127314
In a 5-year study (1972-1977) it was shown that certain disease agents are widespread in a diversity of ocean populations and that some are also transmissible to a number of terrestrial mammal species. Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona has been isolated repeatedly from 2 species of pinnipeds (Zalophus californianus californianus and Callorhinus ursinus). Some of the more important bacterial pathogens for land mammals that were isolated from wild marine mammals are Pseudomonas mallei, Clostridium chauvoei, C. nouyi, Neisseria mucosa var heidelbergensis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella spp. and Pasteurella multocida. Numerous serotypes of calicivirus were isolated from a variety of marine mammals. Some of these are known to infect several land mammal species including swine, horses, and primates. For this reason, precautions should be taken to ensure that disease agents shed by captive marine mammals are not transmitted to susceptible terrestrial mammals, including animal handlers and other human beings.