Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| characterization of phocid herpesvirus-1 and -2 as putative alpha- and gammaherpesviruses of north american and european pinnipeds. | to study the relationships between herpesvirus recently isolated from different pinniped species, antigenic and genetic analyses were performed. first, herpesviruses isolated from north american harbour seals (phoca vitulina), a californian sea lion (zalophus californianus) and a european grey seal (halichoerus grypus) were examined in an enzyme immunoassay (eia) with a panel of monoclonal antibodies which had previously been shown to allow typing of herpesviruses from european harbour seals int ... | 1996 | 8558126 |
| arterial windkessels in marine mammals. | in marine mammals, the aortic arch is enlarged relative to the descending aorta to varying degrees in different species. the ratio of maximal diameter of the arch to that of the thoracic aorta is about 2.3 in the harbour seal (phoca vitulina), 3.6 in the weddell seal (leptonychotes weddelli) and 3.2 in the fin whale (balaenoptera physalus), compared with only 1.4 in the dog. this anatomical specialisation probably provides increased volume capacitance in the arterial circulation as an adaptation ... | 1995 | 8571227 |
| molecular cloning and sequencing of interleukin 6 cdna fragments from the harbor seal (phoca vitulina), killer whale (orcinus orca), and southern sea otter (enhydra lutris nereis). | using polymerase chain reaction, interleukin-6 (il-6) cdna fragments from harbor seal (phoca vitulina), killer whale (orcinus orca), and southern sea otter (enhydra lutris nereis) were cloned and sequenced. for all three species, a continuous open reading frame encoding 203 residues for harbor seal, 199 residues for killer whale, and 201 residues for sea otter with stop codons located at analogous positions were identified. these fragments correspond to nucleotides 71 - 753 of the human il-6 tra ... | 1996 | 8575817 |
| venous structures associated with thermoregulation of phocid seal reproductive organs. | seal reproductive systems are surrounded by thermogenic muscle and insulating blubber, suggesting elevated temperatures at the gonads and uterus. in the limbs of terrestrial mammals, cooled blood returning from superficial veins is mixed proximally with warm blood returning from deep veins. thus, mixed cool-superficial and warm-deep venous blood from the hind limbs is returned to the central circulation. | 1995 | 8579259 |
| blastogenesis and interleukin-2 receptor expression assays in the harbor seal (phoca vitulina). | two in vitro functional assays were developed to evaluate mitogen-induced responses of peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes (pbml) from free-ranging harbor seals, phoca vitulina. lymphocyte proliferation was measured by a standard blastogenesis assay following optimization of culture conditions including mitogen concentration, cell density, and incubation time. these optimized parameters, with the exception of incubation time, were subsequently employed to measure lymphocyte activation by ana ... | 1995 | 8583631 |
| sequence analysis of the complete mitochondrial dna molecule of the hedgehog, erinaceus europaeus, and the phylogenetic position of the lipotyphla. | the sequence of the mitochondrial dna (mtdna) molecule of the european hedgehog (erinaceus europaeus) was determined. the length of the sequence presented is 17,442 nucleotides (nt). the molecule is thus the largest eutherian mtdna molecule so far reported. the organization of the molecule conforms with that of other eutherians, but the control region of the molecule is exceptionally long, 1,988 nt, due to the presence of repeated motifs at two different positions in the 3' part of the control r ... | 1995 | 8587140 |
| worldwide patterns of mitochondrial dna differentiation in the harbor seal (phoca vitulina). | the harbor seal (phoca vitulina) has one of the broadest geographic distributions of any pinniped, stretching from the east baltic, west across the atlantic and pacific oceans to southern japan. although individuals may travel several hundred kilometers on annual feeding migrations, harbor seals are generally believed to be philopatric, returning to the same areas each year to breed. consequently, seals from different areas are likely to be genetically differentiated, with levels of genetic dive ... | 1996 | 8587502 |
| morbillivirus infections of aquatic mammals: newly identified members of the genus. | several disease outbreaks, which have caused the deaths of many thousands of seals and dolphins during the last decade, have now been attributed to infections with newly identified morbilliviruses. outbreaks in the late eighties amongst harbour seals (phoca vitulina) and grey seals (halichoerus grypus) in northwestern europe and amongst baikal seals (phoca sibirica) in siberia were caused by the newly discovered phocine distemper virus and by a strain of canine distemper virus, respectively. alt ... | 1995 | 8588316 |
| leucocyte interleukin-1-like activity in the common seal (phoca vitulina) and grey seal (halichoerus grypus). | interleukin-1 (il-1) is an important cytokine with predominantly proinflammatory activities, which have been characterized in many mammals. this study showed the production of il-1-like bioactivity by cultured seal leucocytes. increasing concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (lps) (0-1 micrograms/ml) stimulated an increase in measurable il-1-like activity in cell culture supernates. this activity increased for the first 24 h after lps stimulation and the substance responsible had an apparent mole ... | 1995 | 8592051 |
| epizootiology of morbillivirus infection in north american harbor seals (phoca vitulina) and gray seals (halichoerus grypus). | a longitudinal study of morbillivirus infection among harbor (phoca vitulina) and gray (halichoerus grypus) seals on the atlantic coast of north america was carried out between 1980 and 1994. serology also was carried out on harbor seals from the pacific northwest coast collected in 1992 and 1993. the prevalence of morbillivirus neutralizing antibodies was significantly (p < 0.0001) higher in gray (73%, n = 296) than in harbor seals (37%, n = 387) from the atlantic. titers were significantly (p ... | 1995 | 8592380 |
| mycotic dermatitis in an atlantic white-sided dolphin, a pygmy sperm whale, and two harbor seals. | an atlantic white-sided dolphin (lagenorhynchus acutus), a pygmy sperm whale (kogia breviceps), 2 harbor seals (phoca vitulina) developed raised, firm, erythematous, cutaneous nodules that were most prominent on their heads, trunks, and on the caudal portions of their bodies. prior to the onset of the condition, all 4 animals may have been stressed by factors such as being stranded on a beach, being transported long distances, or being relocated locally. microbial culturing of the lesions on mul ... | 1996 | 8617632 |
| organochlorine residues in marine mammals from the northern hemisphere--a consideration of the composition of organochlorine residues in the blubber of marine mammals. | levels of organochlorines (pcbs, sigma ddt, lindane and its isomers, hcb, chlordane, and toxaphene) were determined in blubber of marine mammals from the northern hemisphere. differences in both levels and ratios of organochlorine compounds were detected in different species of marine mammals living in the same region, e.g. blubber of harbour seals (phoca vitulina) accumulated significantly lower levels of lindane, hcb, toxaphene, and ddt and its metabolites than harbour porpoises (phocoena phoc ... | 1996 | 8685708 |
| temporary threshold shift in a harbor seal (phoca vitulina) | 1996 | 8817913 | |
| host resistance to rat cytomegalovirus (rcmv) and immune function in adult pvg rats fed herring from the contaminated baltic sea. | the immunotoxic potential of many classes of environmental contaminants has been well established in laboratory studies, with much attention being focussed on aryl hydrocarbon (ah)-receptor binding polychlorinated biphenyl (pcb), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (pcdd), and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (pcdf) congeners. in a semi-field study, we previously showed that harbour seals (phoca vitulina) fed herring from the contaminated baltic sea had lower natural killer cell activity, t-lymphocyte ... | 1996 | 8870960 |
| the mitochondrial dna molecule of sumatran orangutan and a molecular proposal for two (bornean and sumatran) species of orangutan. | the complete mitochondrial dna (mtdna) molecule of sumatran orangutan, plus the complete mitochondrial control region of another sumatran specimen and the control regions and five protein-coding genes of two specimens of bornean orangutan were sequenced and compared with a previously reported complete mtdna of bornean orangutan. the two orangutans are presently separated at the subspecies level. comparison with five different species pairs-namely, harbor seal/grey seal, horse/donkey, fin whale/b ... | 1996 | 8875856 |
| the complete mitochondrial dna (mtdna) of the donkey and mtdna comparisons among four closely related mammalian species-pairs. | the nucleotide sequence of the complete mitochondrial genome of the donkey, equus asinus, was determined. the length of the molecule is 16,670 bp. the length, however, is not absolute due to pronounced heteroplasmy caused by variable numbers of two types of repetitive motifs in the control region. the sequence of the repeats is (a) 5'-cacaccca and (b) 5'-tgcgcgca, respectively. the order of (a) and (b) can be expressed as {n[2(a)+(b)]+m(a)}. in 32 different clones analyzed the number of n and m ... | 1996 | 8875857 |
| impaired immunity in harbour seals (phoca vitulina) exposed to bioaccumulated environmental contaminants: review of a long-term feeding study. | mass mortalities among seals and dolphins inhabiting contaminated marine regions have led to speculation about a possible involvement of immunosuppression associated with environmental pollution. to evaluate whether contaminants at ambient environmental levels can affect immune function of seals, we carried out an immunotoxicological study under semifield conditions. two groups of 11 harbour seals (phoca vitulina) originating from a relatively uncontaminated area were fed herring from either the ... | 1996 | 8880005 |
| impaired immunity in harbour seals [phoca vitulina] fed environmentally contaminated herring. | in recent years, mass mortalities among seals and dolphins have been attributed to infections with different morbilliviruses. in all cases, these marine top predators were exposed to high levels of persistent lipophilic environmental contaminants accumulated through the food chain. this observation led to the hypothesis that a contaminant-related suppression of the immune system might have contributed to the severity of the virus outbreaks. we conducted a semi-field feeding experiment, in which ... | 1996 | 8933691 |
| histological, histochemical, and fine structural observations on the lymph node of the common seal (phoca vitulina) and the grey seal (halichoerus grypus). | the recent seal death epizootic prompted interest in their immune system, for which no current morphological data were available. | 1997 | 9026002 |
| plasma haptoglobin levels in threatened alaskan pinniped populations. | we evaluated the plasma concentration of the acute phase protein haptoglobin (hp) from steller sea lions (eumetopias jubatus) and harbor seals (phoca vitulina) in regions of alaska (usa) where the populations of these pinnipeds were declining and compared the values with concentrations of hp from the same species in areas where the populations were stable. samples were collected from 1992 through 1994 at sites in southeast alaska, prince william sound, the gulf of alaska, and the aleutian island ... | 1997 | 9027692 |
| marine mammals as global pollution indicators for organochlorines. | blubber tissues of the following marine mammals differing in their geographic distribution (north atlantic, north pacific, bering sea/arctic ocean), trophic level, and feeding habits were analyzed for their organochlorine contents: two seal species (harbor seals--phoca vitulina, northern fur seals--callorhinus ursinus), three toothed whale species (belukha whales--delphinapterus leucas, one common dolphin--delphinus delphis, one pilot whale--globicephala melaena), and one baleen whale species (a ... | 2013 | 9134673 |
| pcr primers for harbour seal (phoca vitulina concolour) microsatellites amplify polymorphic loci in other pinniped species. | 1996 | 9147692 | |
| organochlorine contaminants in blubber of four seal species: integrating biomonitoring and specimen banking. | blubber samples from four alaska seal species (bearded seal, erignathus barbatus, harbor seal, phoca vitulina, northern fur seal, callorhinus ursinus, ringed seal, p. hispida) were collected for inclusion in the us national biomonitoring specimen bank, as well as for immediate analysis as part of the contaminant monitoring component of the us national marine fisheries service's marine mammal health and stranding response program. the blubber samples were analyzed for organochlorine (oc) contamin ... | 1997 | 9159908 |
| age-related disease in recurrent outbreak of phocid herpesvirus type-1 infections in a seal rehabilitation centre: evaluation of diagnostic methods. | the prevalence and clinical signs of phocid herpesvirus type-1 (phhv-1) infections among harbour seals (phoca vitulina) in a seal rehabilitation centre in the netherlands were monitored between june and september 1993 and 1994 when 34 and 36 seals, respectively, were rehabilitated. in both years phhv-1-related disease outbreaks occurred in the pupping season. phhv-1 infections were diagnosed by the demonstration of a more than four-fold increase in virus neutralising serum antibodies in paired s ... | 1997 | 9172297 |
| structure and amount of genetic variation at minisatellite loci within the subspecies complex of phoca vitulina (the harbour seal). | the structure and amount of genetic variation within and between three subspecies of the harbour seal phoca vitulina was assessed by multilocus dna fingerprinting. bandsharing similarity indicates that the subspecies phoca vitulina richardsi (alaska, east pacific) is clearly separated from the other two subspecies, phoca vitulina concolor (sable island, west atlantic) and phoca vitulina vitulina (north sea, east atlantic). the subspecies also differ significantly in the estimated amount of heter ... | 1997 | 9172395 |
| aquatic pollution-induced immunotoxicity in wildlife species. | the potential for chemicals to adversely affect human immunologic health has traditionally been evaluated in rodents, under laboratory conditions. these laboratory studies have generated valuable hazard identification and immunotoxicologic mechanism data; however, genetically diverse populations exposed in the wild may better reflect both human exposure conditions and may provide insight into potential immunotoxic effects in humans. in addition, comparative studies of species occupying reference ... | 1997 | 9193919 |
| chromosomal homeologies between human, harbor seal (phoca vitulina) and the putative ancestral carnivore karyotype revealed by zoo-fish. | we report on the construction of the first comparative zoo-fish map of a marine mammal. zoo-fish with dna probes from a human chromosome-specific library to metaphase spreads of the harbor seal (phoca vitulina) disclosed 31 conserved syntenic segments covering the complete autosomal complement and the x chromosome. comparison with zoo-fish maps of other species reveals that the harbor seal shares a high degree of karyotypic homeology with the human complement and an even higher degree with the c ... | 1997 | 9215560 |
| ontogeny of the thermal limits in the harbor seal (phoca vitulina). | we measured metabolic rates (ml o2 h-1, converted to kcal d-1), deep body temperatures (degree c), and skin temperatures (degree c) and calculated whole-animal thermal conductances (ml o2 g-1 h-1 degree c-1) of five 3-yr-old harbor seals (phoca vitulina concolor) at air temperatures between -20 degrees and 35 degrees c. the mean thermal neutral zone of these seals extended from a lower critical temperature of -12.9 degrees +/- 1.6 degrees c (sd) to an upper critical temperature of 28.6 degrees + ... | 1997 | 9231380 |
| evidence of brucella infection in parafilaroides lungworms in a pacific harbor seal (phoca vitulina richardsi). | 1997 | 9249169 | |
| herpesvirus infection in stranded pacific harbor seals of coastal california. | histopathological examination revealed multifocal acute to chronic adrenal necrosis in 74 of 162 (45%) pacific harbor seal pups (phoca vitulina richardsi) dying during rehabilitation following live stranding along the coast of central and northern california (usa). necrotic adrenal cells contained amphophilic, smudgy intranuclear inclusion bodies that were stained positive for dna. fifty of these seals also had lesions typical of sepsis, bacterial omphalophlebitis, pneumonia or gastroenteritis. ... | 1997 | 9249689 |
| dinucleotide repeat polymorphisms at seven anonymous microsatellite loci cloned from the european harbour seal (phoca vitulina vitulina). | 1997 | 9345732 | |
| cytochromes p450, p420 & mixed-function oxidases as biomarkers of polychlorinated biphenyl (pcb) exposure in harbour seals (phoca vitulina). | hepatic microsomal cytochrome p450, erod and ecod activity were investigated as biomarkers of pcb exposure in harbour seals (phoca vitulina). due to the difficulty of obtaining undegraded seal liver samples, standard spectrophotometric methodology was adapted to investigate p420 (degraded p450) as a pcb biomarker with partially degraded samples. total pcb burdens in both blubber and liver had positive correlations with p450, p420 and mfo activity levels. the use of p420 biomarkers in this study ... | 1997 | 9353910 |
| [an estimation of the time of divergence of the seals phoca vitulina, phoca largha and phoca sibirica from a common ancestral species]. | 2006 | 9381856 | |
| antibodies to brucella in marine mammals around the coast of england and wales. | following the isolation of previously unrecognised species of brucella from stranded seals and cetaceans in scotland and northern england, a serological survey was carried out to investigate the range of marine mammal species which may have been exposed to brucella species around the coasts of england and wales, the prevalence of infection and the temporal and geographical distribution of seropositive animals. serum collected from 153 stranded marine mammals from the coasts of england and wales ... | 1997 | 9416675 |
| harbor seal (phoca vitulina) c-reactive protein (c-rp): purification, characterization of specific monoclonal antibodies and development of an immuno-assay to measure serum c-rp concentrations. | c-reactive protein (c-rp) was purified from harbor seal (phoca vitulina) serum by calcium dependant phosphoryl-choline and protein a affinity chromatography. polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under reducing conditions revealed a single protein moiety with a molecular weight of approximately 25 kda. an internal peptide derived from this purified protein was subjected to n-terminal amino acid sequencing. a high amino acid sequence similarity was obtained with other published mammalian c-rp molecu ... | 1997 | 9437833 |
| sequence and characterization of phocine interleukin 2. | to improve assessment of cellular immune responses in seals, northern elephant seal (mirounga angustirostris) interleukin 2 (il-2) has been characterized. the gene was cloned and sequenced from a 658 base pair (bp) cdna generated from total rna by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rt-pcr). the sequence encoded a 154 amino acid (aa) polypeptide that included a 20 aa putative signal peptide. seal il-2 was found to share considerable identity with published sequences. nucleotide sequ ... | 1998 | 9476229 |
| patterns of extensive genetic differentiation and variation among european harbor seals (phoca vitulina vitulina) revealed using microsatellite dna polymorphisms. | the harbor seal (phoca vitulina) has the most extensive distribution of any phocid seal species. an analysis of population structure in this species across its european range was made using 7 phocid derived microsatellites in a sample of 1,029 individuals from 12 separate geographic areas. despite the species potential for long-distance movement, significant genetic differentiation between areas was observed using an unbiased estimator of rst. six distinct population units were identified: irela ... | 1998 | 9491609 |
| fatal erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae septicemia in a captive pacific white-sided dolphin (lagenorhyncus obliquidens). | one male of a group of seven pacific white-sided dolphins (lagenorhynchus obliquidens) died after a brief period of nonspecific clinical signs. four beluga whales (delphinapterus leucas) and four harbor seals (phoca vitulina) were managed in the same water system. gross examination of the dolphin revealed only moderately enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes. histopathology revealed small to massive numbers of gram-positive bacilli, usually intravascular, in all tissues. bacteria were both extracellul ... | 1997 | 9523647 |
| low-frequency amphibious hearing in pinnipeds: methods, measurements, noise, and ecology. | aerial low-frequency (100-6400 hz) hearing thresholds were obtained for one california sea lion (zalophus californianus), one harbor seal (phoca vitulina), and one northern elephant seal (mirounga angustirostris). underwater thresholds over a similar frequency range (75-6300 or 6400 hz) were obtained for these three animals in addition to another california sea lion. such data are critical, not only for understanding mechanisms about amphibious hearing and relating them to pinniped ecology and e ... | 1998 | 9566340 |
| plasma angiotensin ii, arginine vasopressin and atrial natriuretic peptide in free ranging and captive seals and sea lions. | we used radioimmunoassay methods to quantify arginine vasopressin (avp), atrial natriuretic peptide (anp), and angiotensin ii (ang ii) in plasma samples from harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardsii), weddell seals (leptonychotes weddellii), northern elephant seals (mirounga angustirostris), ringed seals (phoca hispida), california sea lions (zalophus californianus), and steller sea lions (eumetopias jubatus). plasma concentrations of avp, anp, and ang ii in these pinniped species were within the ... | 1998 | 9568367 |
| leptospirosis in rehabilitated pacific harbor seals from california. | renal disease was observed in two rehabilitated pacific harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardsii) from a facility in california (usa). the seals had leukocytosis and high serum phosphorus, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine concentrations. a retrospective study of leptospiral antibody serum titers indicated both seals had elevated titers to leptospira interrogans serovar grippotyphosa. a third seal, which died about the time when the index cases occurred, also had elevated titers to l. interrogan ... | 1998 | 9577797 |
| birth weight and neonatal survival of harbour seal pups are positively correlated with genetic variation measured by microsatellites. | we examined the relations between fitness-related traits of wild harbour seal (phoca vitulina) pups with microsatellite heterozygosity, and with a measure of genomic diversity based on the mean squared distance between microsatellite alleles within an individual, mean d2. birth weight was positively influenced by maternal age, pup sex, and either mean d2 or individual heterozygosity in separate multiple regression models. the association of birth weight with mean d2 was stronger than that with h ... | 1998 | 9628038 |
| male mating success in an aquatically mating pinniped, the harbour seal (phoca vitulina), assessed by microsatellite dna markers. | similar to many other pinniped species, harbour seals (phoca vitulina) mate exclusively at sea. here we present the first attempt to measure male mating success in an aquatically mating pinniped. male mating success was estimated by paternity analysis in two cohorts of pups born at sable island, nova scotia, canada, using microsatellite dna markers. the genotypes of 275 pups born in 1994 and 1995 were compared to those of 90 candidate males at six microsatellite loci using a likelihood approach ... | 1998 | 9633104 |
| emerging patterns of comparative genome organization in some mammalian species as revealed by zoo-fish. | although gene maps for a variety of evolutionarily diverged mammalian species have expanded rapidly during the past few years, until recently it has been difficult to precisely define chromosomal segments that are homologous between species. a solution to this problem has come from the development of zoo-fish, also known as cross-species chromosome painting. the use of zoo-fish to identify regions of chromosomal homology has allowed the transfer of information from map-rich species such as human ... | 1998 | 9647633 |
| the energetics of male reproduction in an aquatically mating pinniped, the harbour seal. | the energy expenditure of breeding male harbour seals, phoca vitulina, on sable island, nova scotia, was investigated by measuring changes in body mass, body composition, and water flux using isotope dilution. seals lost 0.47% +/- 0.04% (n = 34) of their initial mass per day during the breeding season (4 wk), and fat, water, and protein accounted for 64.3% +/- 4.8%, 27.8% +/- 3.3%, and 6.9% +/- 1.4% of this mass loss, respectively (n = 31). total energy expenditure was estimated as 33.3 +/- 1.9 ... | 2006 | 9678499 |
| gc/ms analysis of pcb congeners in blood of the harbor seal phoca vitulina from san francisco bay. | here we report a validated technique for quantifying up to 20 specific pcb congeners in 1-2 g samples of whole blood with a detection limit below 1 ng/g (ppb) wet weight. specimens were analyzed from 14 harbor seals sampled in south san francisco bay, california during 1991-1992. ratios of specific congeners to pcb-153, and other aspects of congener pattern, agreed with published values for pcb's detected in seal blood. pcb-153 constituted 30 percent of our sigma pcb values. the mean sigma pcb c ... | 1998 | 9693840 |
| corynebacterium phocae sp. nov., isolated from the common seal (phoca vitulina). | phenotypic and phylogenetic studies were performed on four strains of a gram-positive non-acid-fast coryneform-like organism isolated from the nasal cavities of common seals (phoca vitulina). chemotaxonomic investigations revealed the presence of corynomycolic acids in the unidentified isolates, which is consistent with corynebacteria. 16s rrna gene sequence analysis demonstrated that the strains from seals represent a hitherto unknown subline within the genus corynebacterium sensu stricto. base ... | 1998 | 9731303 |
| bacterial isolates from california sea lions (zalophus californianus), harbor seals (phoca vitulina), and northern elephant seals (mirounga angustirostris) admitted to a rehabilitation center along the central california coast, 1994-1995. | in 2 yr of bacteriologic culturing of 297 california sea lions (zalophus californianus), 154 harbor seals (phoca vitulina), and 89 northern elephant seals (mirounga angustirostris) stranded alive along the california coast, the most frequent isolates from inflammatory lesions in live animals were escherichia coli, streptococcus viridans, listeria ivanovii, beta-hemolytic streptococcus spp., and enterococcus spp. this is the first report of l. ivanovii isolation from a marine mammal. the common i ... | 1998 | 9732032 |
| biomarkers of immunotoxicity in fish and other non-mammalian sentinel species: predictive value for mammals? | through the efforts of different laboratories, a battery of immunological assays is available to predict the immunotoxicity of xenobiotics. these assays, originally developed in rodents, have been adapted for use in a variety of animal species and are now used routinely in these models to assess the immunotoxicity of different chemical classes. for example, our laboratory has employed assays that measure antibody-forming cell response to t-dependent antigens, t- and b-cell lymphoproliferation, m ... | 1998 | 9769111 |
| characterization of a harbor seal class i major histocompatability complex cdna clone. | 2006 | 9799341 | |
| the impact of parasites on marine mammals: a review. | the design and implementation of conservation plans for marine mammals is a matter of public concern. however, very little is known about the role of parasites in the dynamics of marine mammal populations. this is probably due to methodological constraints concerning sampling biases, poor knowledge of the biology of the hosts and parasites and difficulty and costy of experimental studies. however, current evidence supports the theory that parasites may regulate marine mammal populations. crassic ... | 1997 | 9802082 |
| morbillivirus infections in aquatic mammals. | morbillivirus infections which were not documented in aquatic mammals until 1988, have caused at least five epizootics in these species during the last 10 years. affected populations include european harbour seals (phoca vitulina) and grey seals (halichoerus grypus) in 1998, baikal seals (phoca siberica) in siberia from 1987-1988, striped dolphins (stenella coeruleoalba) in the mediterranean sea from 1990-1992 and bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus) along the eastern coast of the united sta ... | 1998 | 9807724 |
| antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria isolated from pinnipeds stranded in central and northern california. | over a 2-yr period (1994-1995), the antimicrobial susceptibilities of 129 bacterial isolates recovered from live stranded california sea lions (zalophus californianus), harbor seals (phoca vitulina), and northern elephant seals (mirounga angustirostris) were studied. nineteen genera of bacteria were isolated from various sites of inflammation; abscesses and umbilici were the most common sites. seventy-two percent of the bacterial isolated were gram negative, and the enterobacteriaceae (escherich ... | 1998 | 9809600 |
| prevalence and intensity of the ectoparasite echinophthirius horridus on harbour seals (phoca vitulina): effects of host age and inter-annual variability in host food availability. | the epidemiology of the sucking lice echinophthirius horridus was studied over a 4 year period in which their harbour seal hosts experienced marked inter-annual changes in food availability. prevalence and intensity of infection varied in relation to host age but not sex. burdens were highest on immature seals, but both prevalence and intensity of infection were significantly higher in years when food availability was low. observed intra-population variations in ectoparasite dynamics suggested t ... | 1998 | 9820861 |
| vanadium accumulation in pinnipeds. | vanadium in four species of pinnipeds (northern fur seals [callorhinus ursinus], steller sea lions [eumetopias jubatus], harbor seals [phoca vitulina], and ribbon seals [phoca fasciata]) caught in the northern pacific was analyzed using icp-ms to understand its accumulation and distribution. in northern fur seals, relatively high concentrations of vanadium were observed in the liver, hair, and bone. ninety percent of the vanadium burden in the body was concentrated in these three tissues, which ... | 1999 | 9828265 |
| levels and enantiomeric ratios of alpha-hch, oxychlordane, and pcb 149 in blubber of harbour seals (phoca vitulina) and grey seals (halichoerus grypus) from iceland and further species. | the chiral stationary phase beta-tbdm (35% heptakis(6-o-tert.-butyldimethylsilyl-2,3-di-o-methyl)-beta-cyc lod extrin in ov-1701) was applied to study the enantioenrichment of alpha-hch, oxychlordane, and pcb 149 in blubber of two seal species from iceland by gas chromatography with electron capture detection. the examined harbour seals (phoca vitulina) and grey seals (halichoerus grypus) showed alpha-hch enantiomeric ratios (er) > 1. the er of pcb 149 was comparable in the two species from icel ... | 1998 | 9828350 |
| antigenic and nucleotide characterization of a herpesvirus isolated from pacific harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardsii). | this report describes the antigenic and nucleotide characterization of a herpes-like virus that has been isolated from the adrenal tissues of neonatal pacific harbor seals. infection with this virus has been previously implicated as a major cause of death of animals undergoing rehabilitation. comparison and phylogenetic analysis of sequenced fragments of the dna polymerase, glycoprotein b and glycoprotein d genes, and immunofluorescence assay using herpesvirus-specific monoclonal antibodies, dem ... | 1998 | 9856089 |
| meningoencephalitis due to a sarcocystis neurona-like protozoan in pacific harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardsi). | seven pacific harbor seals with meningoencephalitis associated with sarcocystis neurona-like protozoa are described. six of the 7 seals were free-ranging and were found stranded over an 80-km stretch of central california coastline; the other was captive. all had marked to severe nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis, most severe in the cerebellar cortex. immunohistochemistry for s. neurona antigens was positive on brain tissue in all cases, revealing numerous merozoites as well as developing and m ... | 1998 | 9920311 |
| the use of microsomal in vitro assay to study phase i biotransformation of chlorobornanes (toxaphene) in marine mammals and birds. possible consequences of biotransformation for bioaccumulation and genotoxicity. | the factors determining the bioaccumulation of lipophilic compounds in wildlife are often poorly understood, partly because it is difficult to do in vivo experiments with animals such as marine mammals and birds. to evaluate the role of phase i biotransformation in the bioaccumulation process of chlorobornanes (toxaphene), this was studied in in vitro assays with hepatic microsomes of animals that could be sampled shortly after death. the capacity of microsomes to metabolise a technical toxaphen ... | 1998 | 9972480 |
| female distribution, genetic relatedness, and fostering behaviour in harbour seals, phoca vitulina. | although harbour seals may not recognize their relatives, relatives could be chosen preferentially for fostering (i.e. kin selection) if harbour seals display natal philopatry coupled with breeding site fidelity, and thus kin are clustered within the colony. we used behavioural and genetic data to investigate population structure within the sable island breeding colony and to test whether harbour seals tend to foster related pups. adult females on sable island showed a high level of breeding-col ... | 1999 | 10049483 |
| hematology and chemistry reference values for free-ranging harbor seals (phoca vitulina) and the effects of hemolysis on chemistry values of captive harbor seals. | most reported laboratory reference values for harbor seals (phoca vitulina) are derived from captive seals, or stranded seals that have recovered from disease in marine mammal centers. this study established hematology and serum chemistry reference values for free-ranging harbor seals, using methods and that are current and readily available, and determined the effects of hemolysis on serum chemistry values of captive harbor seals. blood samples were collected for hematologic and serum chemistry ... | 1998 | 10065846 |
| an additional case of leptospirosis in a harbor seal. | 1999 | 10073368 | |
| twenty years of trace metal analyses of marine mammals in alaska: evaluation and summation. | the compilation of existing data on contaminants in the marine food chain is essential in addressing concerns regarding the magnitude of potential human exposures and in the evaluation of subsistence food safety. this paper presents a summary of studies on trace metals in tissues of alaska marine mammals from the 1970s to the present, along with derived mean tissue trace metal concentrations. the derived mean can serve as a norm against which future monitoring results may be compared, and may be ... | 1998 | 10093345 |
| [grey (halcichoerus grypus) and common (phoca vitulina) seals in murman: adaptation to ice and ecological differentiation in subpopulations]. | 1999 | 10188087 | |
| high aerobic capacities in the skeletal muscles of pinnipeds: adaptations to diving hypoxia. | the objective was to assess the aerobic capacity of skeletal muscles in pinnipeds. samples of swimming and nonswimming muscles were collected from steller sea lions (eumetopias jubatus, n = 27), northern fur seals (callorhinus ursinus, n = 5), and harbor seals (phoca vitulina, n = 37) by using a needle biopsy technique. samples were either immediately fixed in 2% glutaraldehyde or frozen in liquid nitrogen. the volume density of mitochondria, myoglobin concentration, citrate synthase activity, a ... | 1999 | 10194210 |
| complete nucleotide sequence of pig (sus scrofa) mitochondrial genome and dating evolutionary divergence within artiodactyla. | the complete nucleotide sequence of the pig (sus scrofa) mitochondrial genome, containing 16613bp, is presented in this report. the genome is not a specific length because of the presence of the variable numbers of tandem repeats, 5'-cgtgcgtaca in the displacement loop (d-loop). genes responsible for 12s and 16s rrnas, 22 trnas, and 13 protein-coding regions are found. the genome carries very few intergenic nucleotides with several instances of overlap between protein-coding or trna genes, excep ... | 1999 | 10433971 |
| underwater temporary threshold shift induced by octave-band noise in three species of pinniped. | pure-tone sound detection thresholds were obtained in water for one harbor seal (phoca vitulina), two california sea lions (zalophus californianus), and one northern elephant seal (mirounga angustirostris) before and immediately following exposure to octave-band noise. additional thresholds were obtained following a 24-h recovery period. test frequencies ranged from 100 hz to 2000 hz and octave-band exposure levels were approximately 60-75 db sl (sensation level at center frequency). each subjec ... | 1999 | 10462817 |
| [glycogen, glucose, lactate and pyruvate in the organs of 3 species of adult seals (pusa sibirica, p. caspica, phoca vitulina)]. | 2013 | 10519198 | |
| giardiasis in pinnipeds from eastern canada. | cysts of giardia sp. were detected in feces from the rectum of 20 of 74 pinnipeds examined from the eastern coast of canada in 1997 and 1998 using a monoclonal antibody technique. infected pinnipeds included 15 adult harp seals (phoca groenlandica), four adult grey seals (halichoerus grypus), and one juvenile harbor seal (phoca vitulina). cysts were not detected in 15 seal pups <1-yr-old. the highest prevalence (50%) occurred in adult harp seals collected near the magdalen islands in the gulf of ... | 1999 | 10574540 |
| geographical variation in temporal and spatial vocalization patterns of male harbour seals in the mating season. | in the aquatically mating harbour seal, phoca vitulina, oestrous females show marked differences in spatial and temporal distribution between geographical areas. this suggests that the males' display behaviour may also vary between areas. we recorded male vocalizations in two areas, the moray firth and orkney, u.k. in the moray firth, females haul out on a few intertidal sandbars and travel along predictable routes to forage at sea. in orkney, female haul out sites are much less influenced by ti ... | 1999 | 10600144 |
| levels and patterns of pcbs and oc pesticides in harbour and grey seals from the st lawrence estuary, canada. | blubber samples from harbour (phoca vitulina) and grey seals (halichoerus grypus) captured in the st lawrence estuary were analysed for pcbs and oc pesticides. concentrations of sigma pcb, sigma ddt, sigma chlor and mirex were higher in harbour than in grey seals, while sigma hch and hcb were similar in the two species. age vs. concentration plots showed that sigma pcb, sigma ddt and sigma chlor concentrations increased with age in males, but plateaued at sexual maturity in females. concentratio ... | 1999 | 10635597 |
| health effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on wildlife, with special reference to the european situation. | many wildlife species may be exposed to biologically active concentrations of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. there is strong evidence obtained from laboratory studies showing the potential of several environmental chemicals to cause endocrine disruption at environmentally realistic exposure levels. in wildlife populations, associations have been reported between reproductive and developmental effects and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. in the aquatic environment, effects have been observed in m ... | 2000 | 10680769 |
| individual and geographical variation in display behaviour of male harbour seals in scotland. | studying variations in behaviour at the individual or population level enables insight into the reproductive strategies within a species. we examined individual and geographical variation in the vocal and dive behaviour of male harbour seals, phoca vitulina, which is associated with aquatic mating. this display behaviour was recorded in the moray firth, scotland, from july 1994 to 1997, and in orkney, scotland, during july 1998. one vocalization type was apparent in the moray firth and two in or ... | 2000 | 10715178 |
| contaminant-induced immunosuppression and mass mortalities among harbor seals. | virus-associated mass mortalities among seals inhabiting northwestern europe have generated an interest in immunotoxicology in this species. a morbillivirus has been isolated from victims, but a contribution of immunotoxic contaminants to the severity of the outbreaks could not be ruled out. fish-eating seals occupy high trophic levels in the aquatic food chain, and accumulate high levels of contaminants including polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (pcdds), and p ... | 2000 | 10720747 |
| influenza b virus in seals. | influenza b virus is a human pathogen whose origin and possible reservoir in nature are not known. an influenza b virus was isolated from a naturally infected harbor seal (phoca vitulina) and was found to be infectious to seal kidney cells in vitro. sequence analyses and serology indicated that influenza virus b/seal/netherlands/1/99 is closely related to strains that circulated in humans 4 to 5 years earlier. retrospective analyses of sera collected from 971 seals showed a prevalence of antibod ... | 2000 | 10807575 |
| selective heating of vibrissal follicles in seals (phoca vitulina) and dolphins (sotalia fluviatilis guianensis). | the thermal characteristics of the mystacial vibrissae of harbour seals (phoca vitulina) and of the follicle crypts on the rostrum of the dolphin sotalia fluviatilis guianensis were measured using an infrared imaging system. thermograms demonstrate that, in both species, single vibrissal follicles are clearly defined units of high thermal radiation, indicating a separate blood supply to these cutaneous structures. it is suggested that the high surface temperatures measured in the area of the mou ... | 2000 | 10862725 |
| first findings of cryptosporidium and giardia in california sea lions (zalophus californianus). | we report the detection and identification of cryptosporidium and giardia from 1 of 3 species of pinnipeds. fecal samples were collected from pacific harbor seal (phoca vitulina richardsi), northern elephant seal (mirounga angustirostris), and california sea lion (zalophus californianus) in the northern california coastal area. by means of fluorescently labeled monoclonal antibodies, cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 3 samples from california sea lions, 1 of which also contained giardia c ... | 2000 | 10864244 |
| [the harbor seal (phoca vitulina) in the last century]. | 2000 | 10905938 | |
| aspects of general antimicrobial properties of skin secretions in the common seal phoca vitulina. | considerable amounts of several saccharide residues (alpha-d-man, beta-d-glcnac, alpha-d-galnac, beta-d-gal, alpha-d-gal, alpha-l-fuc, neunac) are demonstrated by lectin histochemistry in the sections of the sebaceous glands, and, particularly, the apocrine tubular glands of the common seal. these sugars may be liberated on the skin surface by microbial activities and, then, represent a general antimicrobial protection mechanism of the skin because of their ability to inhibit the adherence of di ... | 2000 | 10907141 |
| masking in three pinnipeds: underwater, low-frequency critical ratios. | behavioral techniques were used to determine underwater masked hearing thresholds for a northern elephant seal (mirounga angustirostris), a harbor seal (phoca vitulina), and a california sea lion (zalophus californianus). octave-band white noise maskers were centered at five test frequencies ranging from 200 to 2500 hz; a slightly wider noise band was used for testing at 100 hz. critical ratios were calculated at one masking noise level for each test frequency. above 200 hz, critical ratios incr ... | 2000 | 11008832 |
| indications for the involvement of a cyp3a-like iso-enzyme in the metabolism of chlorobornane (toxaphene) congeners in seals from inhibition studies with liver microsomes. | the different isoforms of the cytochrome p450 (cyp) system can metabolise a suite of classes of lipophilic, anthropogenic compounds. the bioaccumulative potential as well as the toxicity of xenobiotics may be significantly altered in the process. to compare the metabolic ability of different wildlife species, it is important to identify the different iso-enzymes of cyp, which are responsible for the metabolism of different classes of compounds. this can be achieved with in vitro incubation assay ... | 2001 | 11090893 |
| amoxicillin pharmacokinetics in harbor seals (phoca vitulina) and northern elephant seals (mirounga angustirostris) following single dose intravenous administration: implications for interspecific dose scaling. | the pharmacokinetics of sodium amoxicillin after a single intravenous dose of 20 mg/kg were determined in ten harbor seals (phoca vitulina) and ten northern elephant seals (mirounga angustirostris). the seals ranged in age from 1 to 6 months and the mean weights were 11.7 kg (range, 9.5-18.5 kg) for harbor seals and 47.1 kg (range, 39.5-61.4 kg) for elephant seals. the median half-life of amoxicillin (quartiles) in harbor seals, 1.5 (1.0-3.1) h. was not statistically different from that of eleph ... | 2000 | 11126323 |
| pcb-associated alteration of hepatic steroid metabolism in harbor seals (phoca vitulina). | hepatic cytochrome p-450 (cyp450) isozymes are involved in xenobiotic detoxification and steroid metabolism. seals are highly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) in the environment, resulting in cyp450 induction, which may have concomitant effects on cyp450 steroid metabolism. experiments were conducted to determine rates of steroid metabolism in harbor seal (phoca vitulina) liver. cyp450 was induced with increasing liver pcb concentrations between 0.2 and 5.73 microg/g (wet weight). pro ... | 2000 | 11132695 |
| accumulation of silver in the liver of three species of pinnipeds. | silver in the three species of pinnipeds [northern fur seal (callorhinus ursinus), steller sea lion (eumetopias jubatus), and harbor seal (phoca vitulina)] caught in the north pacific ocean were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, in order to understand accumulation and distribution of silver in pinnipeds. in northern fur seals, relatively high concentrations of silver were observed in the liver and body hair. some 70% of the silver burden was concentrated in the liver. ... | 2001 | 11202650 |
| tris (4-chlorophenyl) methane and tris (4-chlorophenyl) methanol in marine mammals from the estuary and gulf of st. lawrence. | levels of tris (4-chlorophenyl) methanol (tcpm) and its presumed precursor tris (4-chlorophenyl) methane (tcpme) are reported in marine mammals from the estuary and gulf of st. lawrence, canada. these compounds were measured in blubber samples of seals and whales using ion trap mass spectrometry (ms/ms) detection. detectable concentrations of both tcpm and tcpme were observed in all of the samples analysed. concentrations of these compounds varied with species ranging from 1.7 to 153 and from 1. ... | 2001 | 11202713 |
| bioaccumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) and dichlorodiphenylethane (dde) methyl sulfones in tissues of seal and dolphin morbillivirus epizootic victims. | polychlorinated biphenyl (pcb) and dichlorodiphenylethane (dde) methyl sulfone (msf) metabolites possess high affinities for binding two homologous 16,000 da homodimeric receptor proteins in the lung (clara cell secretory protein, ccsp) and the uterus (uteroglobin, ug), leading to selective bioaccumulation of msfs in these tissues. as marine mammals are highly exposed to organochlorines, concentrations of pcbs, pcb msfs, ddt, and dde msf were analyzed in blubber, lung, and uterus samples from ha ... | 2001 | 11205532 |
| a review of sarcocystis neurona and equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (epm). | equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (epm) is a serious neurological disease of horses in the americas. the protozoan most commonly associated with epm is sarcocystis neurona. the complete life cycle of s. neurona is unknown, including its natural intermediate host that harbors its sarcocyst. opossums (didelphis virginiana, didelphis albiventris) are its definitive hosts. horses are considered its aberrant hosts because only schizonts and merozoites (no sarcocysts) are found in horses. epm-like di ... | 2001 | 11223193 |
| characterization of otostrongylus circumlitus from pacific harbor and northern elephant seals. | otostrongylus circumlitus (railliet, 1899) from pacific harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardsi) and northern elephant seals (mirounga angustirostris) were examined using morphological and molecular methods to determine whether northern elephant seals along the central california coast are infected by the same species of otostrongylus as are pacific harbor seals in the same area. fixed nematodes were examined and measured using light microscopy. the polymerase chain reaction (pcr) was used to amp ... | 2001 | 11227905 |
| fungal dermatitis in captive pinnipeds. | fungal dermatitis was diagnosed in two captive gray seals (halichoerus grypus) and four harbor seals (phoca vitulina) between 1992 and 1994. trichophyton mentagrophytes, malassezia spp., and yarrowia (candida) lipolytica were isolated. erythematous, thickened, alopecic skin lesions were present on the face and on the flippers, particularly around the nail bed. the two most important environmental factors associated with development of fungal dermatitis appeared to be excessive chlorination of po ... | 2000 | 11237146 |
| humoral immune responses to phocine herpesvirus-1 in pacific harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardsii) during an outbreak of clinical disease. | infection with phocine herpesvirus type-1 (phv-1) has been associated with morbidity and high mortality in neonatal harbor seals (phoca vitulina). a phv-1 specific indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) was developed to sequentially measure the serological status of 106 harbor seal neonates admitted to a pacific coast rehabilitation center (total number of sera tested was 371). early in the season (february-april), the majority of pups had low serum levels of phv-1 specific antibody. ... | 2001 | 11278118 |
| muscle capillary supply in harbor seals. | the purpose of this study was to examine muscle capillary supply in harbor seals. locomotory and nonlocomotory muscles of four harbor seals (mass = 17.5-41 kg) were glutaraldehyde-perfusion fixed and samples processed for electron microscopy and analyzed by morphometry. capillary-to-fiber number and surface ratios were 0.81 +/- 0.05 and 0.16 +/- 0.01, respectively. capillary length and surface area per volume of muscle fiber were 1,495 +/- 83 mm/mm(3) and 22.4 +/- 1.6 mm(2)/mm(3), respectively. ... | 2001 | 11299286 |
| subsurface crypts and interstitial cells in the ovary of the seal (phoca vitulina vitulina): light and electron microscopic findings. | this morphological study on the ovary of the seal focuses on two structures of special interest: the subsurface crypts and the interstitial cells. ovaries from 110 seals (from 1,5 months to 12 years) were used. most of the seals of our study originated from german north coast, a few from island. the ovaries were examined by light microscopic as well as by transmission and scanning electron microscopic techniques. the seal's ovary conforms to the basic structure of the ovary of other mammalian sp ... | 1998 | 11315947 |
| organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and butyltin compounds in blubber and livers of stranded california sea lions, elephant seals, and harbor seals from coastal california, usa. | concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs), ddts (p,p'-dde, p,p'-ddd, p,p'-ddt), chlordanes (chls; cis-chlordane, cis-nonachlor, trans-nonachlor, and oxychlordane), hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (hchs), hexachlorobenzene (hcb), tris(4-chlorophenyl)methane (tcpme), tris(4-chlorophenyl)methanol (tcpmoh), and mono- (mbt), di-(dbt), and tri-butyltin (tbt) were determined in blubber and livers of 15 california sea lions (zalophus californianus), 6 northern elephant seals (mirounga augustirost ... | 2001 | 11385594 |
| morbillivirus in common seals stranded on the coasts of belgium and northern france during summer 1998. | sixteen common seals (phoca vitulina) were stranded on the belgian and northern french coasts during the summer of 1998. eleven (10 pups and one adult) were sampled for histopathological, immunohistochemical, serological, bacteriological, parasitological and virological investigations. the main gross findings were severe emaciation, acute haemorrhagic enteritis, acute pneumonia, interstitial pulmonary emphysema and oedema, and chronic ulcerative stomatitis. microscopical lung findings were acute ... | 2001 | 11386444 |
| marine mammals. by a whisker, harbor seals catch their prey. | 2001 | 11441158 | |
| hydrodynamic trail-following in harbor seals (phoca vitulina). | marine mammals often forage in dark or turbid waters. whereas dolphins use echolocation under such conditions, pinnipeds apparently lack this sensory ability. for seals hunting in the dark, one source of sensory information may consist of fish-generated water movements, which seals can detect with their highly sensitive whiskers. water movements in the wake of fishes persist for several minutes. here we show that blindfolded seals can use their whiskers to detect and accurately follow hydrodynam ... | 2001 | 11441183 |
| isolation and characterization of two parasitic protozoa from a pacific harbor seal (phoca vitulina richardsi) with meningoencephalomyelitis. | two species of protozoans were isolated from a harbor seal with fatal meninogoencephalitis. serologic reactivity was detected to both sarcocystis neurona and toxoplasma gondii. parasites associated with brain inflammation and necrosis reacted only with immunohistochemical stains utilizing polyclonal antisera raised against sarcocystis neurona. however, 2 distinct parasites were observed in cell cultures derived from the seal's brain tissue. these parasites were separated by mouse passage and lim ... | 2001 | 11534647 |
| seroconversion and abortion in cattle experimentally infected with brucella sp. isolated from a pacific harbor seal (phoca vitulina richardsi). | previously unrecognized brucella species have been isolated from a number of marine mammals, including harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardsi) in the puget sound area of the state of washington. because of the presence of dairy herds in proximity to the harbor seal populations, a study was conducted to determine the effects of the harbor seal brucella isolate in experimentally inoculated cattle. six pregnant cattle were exposed by intravenous injection (n = 3) or intraconjunctival inoculation (n ... | 2001 | 11580057 |
| seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii in harbor seals (phoca vitulina) in southern puget sound, washington. | as part of the puget sound ambient monitoring program of the washington department of fish and wildlife, serum samples from 380 harbor seals (phoca vitulina) were tested for antibodies to toxoplasma gondii in the modified agglutination test (mat) incorporating formalin-fixed tachyzoites and mercaptoethanol. antibodies to t. gondii were found in 29 of 380 (7.6%) seals with titers of 1:25 in 13, 1:50 in 14, and > or = 1:500 in 2 seals. results indicate natural exposure of these wild marine mammals ... | 2001 | 11695398 |
| effects of training on forced submersion responses in harbor seals. | in several pinniped species, the heart rates observed during unrestrained dives are frequently higher than the severe bradycardias recorded during forced submersions. to examine other physiological components of the classic 'dive response' during such moderate bradycardias, a training protocol was developed to habituate harbor seals (phoca vitulina) to short forced submersions. significant changes were observed between physiological measurements made during naive and trained submersions (3-3.5 m ... | 2001 | 11807105 |