| evaluation of an indirect fluorescent antibody test (ifat) for demonstration of antibodies to toxoplasma gondii in the sea otter (enhydra lutris). | an indirect fluorescent antibody test (ifat) for detection of toxoplasma gondii infection was validated using serum from 77 necropsied southern sea otters (enhydra lutris nereis) whose t. gondii infection status was determined through immunohistochemistry and parasite isolation in cell culture. twenty-eight otters (36%) were positive for t. gondii by immunohistochemistry or parasite isolation or both, whereas 49 (64%) were negative by both tests. at a cutoff of 1:320, combined values for ifat se ... | 2002 | 12099433 |
| clinical pathology and assessment of pathogen exposure in southern and alaskan sea otters. | the southern sea otter (enhydra lutris nereis) population in california (usa) and the alaskan sea otter (e. lutris kenyoni) population in the aleutian islands (usa) chain have recently declined. in order to evaluate disease as a contributing factor to the declines, health assessments of these two sea otter populations were conducted by evaluating hematologic and/or serum biochemical values and exposure to six marine and terrestrial pathogens using blood collected during ongoing studies from 1995 ... | 2003 | 14733279 |
| assessment of clinical pathology and pathogen exposure in sea otters (enhydra lutris) bordering the threatened population in alaska. | northern sea otter (enhydra lutris kenyoni) abundance has decreased dramatically over portions of southwest alaska, usa, since the mid-1980s, and this stock is currently listed as threatened under the endangered species act. in contrast, adjacent populations in south central alaska, usa, and russia have been stable to increasing during the same period. sea otters bordering the area classified in the recent decline were live-captured during 2004-2006 at bering island, russia, and the kodiak archi ... | 2011 | 21719822 |
| mustelid herpesvirus-2, a novel herpes infection in northern sea otters (enhydra lutris kenyoni). | oral ulcerations and plaques with epithelial eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions were observed in northern sea otters (enhydra lutris kenyoni) that died or were admitted for rehabilitation after the 1989 exxon valdez oil spill (evos) in alaska, usa. transmission electron microscopy demonstrated the presence of herpesviral virions. additionally, a serologic study from 2004 to 2005 found a high prevalence of exposure to a herpesvirus in live-captured otters. tissues from 29 otters after the evos ... | 2012 | 22247388 |
| bartonella spp. exposure in northern and southern sea otters in alaska and california. | since 2002, an increased number of northern sea otters (enhydra lutris kenyoni) from southcentral alaska have been reported to be dying due to endocarditis and/or septicemia with infection by streptococcus infantarius subsp. coli. bartonella spp. dna was also detected in northern sea otters as part of mortality investigations during this unusual mortality event (ume) in kachemak bay, alaska. to evaluate the extent of exposure to bartonella spp. in sea otters, sera collected from necropsied and l ... | 2014 | 25514118 |
| coxiella burnetii exposure in northern sea otters enhydra lutris kenyoni. | valvular endocarditis has been well described in northern sea otters enhydra lutris kenyoni of alaska and in many cases no cause has been identified. it is also one of the most common conditions observed in people with chronic coxiella burnetii infection. given the high levels of c. burnetii exposure in marine mammals distributed throughout the same geographic range as the northern sea otter, and the presence of valvular lesions seen in otters, the objective of this study was to determine the le ... | 2015 | 25958809 |
| locally acquired disseminated histoplasmosis in a northern sea otter (enhydra lutris kenyoni) in alaska, usa. | histoplasmosis of local origin has not been reported in humans or wildlife in alaska, and the disease has never been reported in a free-ranging marine mammal. in 2005 a northern sea otter (enhydra lutris kenyoni) was found on kodiak island, alaska, at 57° latitude north, far outside the known distribution of histoplasma capsulatum. the animal died of disseminated histoplasmosis. microorganisms consistent with histoplasma sp. were observed on histopathology, and h. capsulatum was identified by pc ... | 2014 | 24484503 |
| novel bartonella infection in northern and southern sea otters (enhydra lutris kenyoni and enhydra lutris nereis). | since 2002, vegetative valvular endocarditis (vve), septicemia and meningoencephalitis have contributed to an unusual mortality event (ume) of northern sea otters in southcentral alaska. streptococcal organisms were commonly isolated from vegetative lesions and organs from these sea otters. bartonella infection has also been associated with bacteremia and vve in terrestrial mammals, but little is known regarding its pathogenic significance in marine mammals. our study evaluated whether streptoco ... | 2014 | 24629902 |
| the interaction of intraspecific competition and habitat on individual diet specialization: a near range-wide examination of sea otters. | the quantification of individuality is a common research theme in the fields of population, community, and evolutionary ecology. the potential for individuality to arise is likely context-dependent, and the influence of habitat characteristics on its prevalence has received less attention than intraspecific competition. we examined individual diet specialization in 16 sea otter (enhydra lutris) populations from southern california to the aleutian islands in alaska. because population histories, ... | 2015 | 25645269 |
| novel poxvirus infection in northern and southern sea otters (enhydra lutris kenyoni and enhydra lutris neiris), alaska and california, usa. | small superficially ulcerated skin lesions were observed between october 2009 and september 2011 during captive care of two orphaned sea otter pups: one northern (enhydra lutris kenyoni) in alaska and one southern (enhydra lutris nereis) in california. inclusions consistent with poxviral infection were diagnosed by histopathology in both cases. virions consistent with poxvirus virions were seen on electron microscopy in the northern sea otter, and the virus was successfully propagated in cell cu ... | 2014 | 24807180 |
| sarcomas in three free-ranging northern sea otters (enhydra lutris kenyoni) in alaska. | three sarcomas were diagnosed in wild northern sea otters (enhydra lutris kenyoni) during the mid- to late 1990s. histologically, the tumors were a chondrosarcoma and two low-grade fibrosarcomas with myofibroblastic cell differentiation. the three sea otters were surviving in the wild and were killed by hunters. | 2012 | 22493127 |
| persistent organic pollutants in the blood of free-ranging sea otters (enhydra lutris ssp.) in alaska and california. | as part of tagging and ecologic research efforts in 1997 and 1998, apparently healthy sea otters of four age-sex classes in six locations in alaska and three in california were sampled for persistent organic pollutants (pops) and other chemicals of ecologic or environmental concern (coecs). published techniques for the detection of pops (specifically ∑polychlorinated biphenyls [pcbs], ∑ddts, ∑hexachlorocyclohexanes [hchs], ∑polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [pahs], ∑chlordanes [chls], hexachlorob ... | 2010 | 20966272 |
| contamination status and accumulation profiles of organotins in sea otters (enhydra lutris) found dead along the coasts of california, washington, alaska (usa), and kamchatka (russia). | organotin compounds (ots) including mono- to tri-butyltins, -phenyltins, and -octyltins were determined in the liver of adult sea otters (enhydra lutris) found dead along the coasts of california, washington, and alaska in the usa and kamchatka, russia. total concentrations of ots in sea otters from california ranged from 34 to 4100ng/g on a wet weight basis. the order of concentrations of ots in sea otters was total butyltins>total octyltins> or = total phenyltins. elevated concentrations of bu ... | 2008 | 18304586 |
| potential for sea otter exposure to remnants of buried oil from the exxon valdez oil spill. | a study was conducted in 2005 and 2006 to examine the hypothesis that sea otters (enhydra lutris) continue to be exposed to residues of subsurface oil (sso) while foraging on shorelines in the northern knight island (nki) area of prince william sound, alaska more than 17 years after the exxon valdez oil spill. forty-three shoreline segments, whose oiling history has been documented by prior surveys, were surveyed. these included all shoreline segments reported by a 2003 noaa random site survey t ... | 2007 | 17969707 |
| patterns of growth and body condition in sea otters from the aleutian archipelago before and after the recent population decline. | 1. growth models for body mass and length were fitted to data collected from 1842 sea otters enhydra lutris shot or live-captured throughout south-west alaska between 1967 and 2004. growth curves were constructed for each of two main year groups: 1967-71 when the population was at or near carrying capacity and 1992-97 when the population was in steep decline. analyses of data collected from animals caught during 2004, when the population density was very low, were precluded by a small sample siz ... | 2006 | 17009761 |
| expressed mhc class ii genes in sea otters (enhydra lutris) from geographically disparate populations. | the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) is central to maintaining the immunologic vigor of individuals and populations. classical mhc class ii genes were targeted for partial sequencing in sea otters (enhydra lutris) from populations in california, washington, and alaska. sequences derived from sea otter peripheral blood leukocyte mrnas were similar to those classified as dqa, dqb, dra, and drb in other species. comparisons of the derived amino acid compositions supported the classification o ... | 2006 | 16671948 |
| novel finding of widespread occurrence and accumulation of bisphenol a diglycidyl ethers (badges) and novolac glycidyl ethers (noges) in marine mammals from the united states coastal waters. | bisphenol a diglycidyl ether (badge)- and bisphenol f diglycidyl ether (bfdge)-based epoxy resins have a broad range of applications, including serving as inner coatings of food and beverage cans and as protective coatings in marine construction. prior to this study, no studies had examined the occurrence and bioaccumulation of badges or bfdges in aquatic organisms. in this study, badge, bfdge, and nine of their derivatives were determined in 121 tissue (liver, kidney, blubber, and brain) sample ... | 2016 | 26800265 |
| chlorinated, brominated, and perfluorinated compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace elements in livers of sea otters from california, washington, and alaska (usa), and kamchatka (russia). | concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (ddts, hchs, and chlordanes), polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (pbdes), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs), perfluorinated compounds (pfcs), and 20 trace elements were determined in livers of 3- to 5-year old stranded sea otters collected from the coastal waters of california, washington, and alaska (usa) and from kamchatka (russia). concentrations of organochlorine pesticides, pcbs, and pbdes were high in sea otter ... | 2008 | 18385877 |
| chemical restraint and anesthesia of sea otters affected by the oil spill in prince william sound, alaska. | | 1996 | 8675470 |
| organochlorine contaminants in coastal marine ecosystems of southern alaska: inferences from spatial patterns in blue mussels (mytilus trossulus). | we measured the concentrations and chemical structures of persistent organochlorines (ocs) in blue mussels (mytilus trossulus) from 44 sites across southwest and southeast alaska in an effort to determine both the sources of these compounds and the extent to which this region might be contaminated. high pcb concentrations were detected at amchitka, adak, and unalaska islands (83, 430, and 2800μgkg(-1) dry weight, respectively) in the aleutians with relatively low concentrations elsewhere (7.1-51 ... | 2012 | 22579453 |
| long-term impacts of the exxon valdez oil spill on sea otters, assessed through age-dependent mortality patterns. | we use age distributions of sea otters (enhydra lutris) found dead on beaches of western prince william sound, alaska, between 1976 and 1998 in conjunction with time-varying demographic models to test for lingering effects from the 1989 exxon valdez oil spill. our results show that sea otters in this area had decreased survival rates in the years following the spill and that the effects of the spill on annual survival increased rather than dissipated for older animals. otters born after the 1989 ... | 2000 | 10823920 |
| bald eagles and sea otters in the aleutian archipelago: indirect effects of trophic cascades. | because sea otters (enhydra lutris) exert a wide array of direct and indirect effects on coastal marine ecosystems throughout their geographic range, we investigated the potential influence of sea otters on the ecology of bald eagles (haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the aleutian islands, alaska, usa. we studied the diets, productivity, and density of breeding bald eagles on four islands during 1993-1994 and 2000-2002, when sea otters were abundant and scarce, respectively. bald eagles depend on nea ... | 2008 | 18959310 |
| prolonged recovery of sea otters from the exxon valdez oil spill? a re-examination of the evidence. | sea otters (enhydra lutris) suffered major mortality after the exxon valdez oil spill in prince william sound, alaska, 1989. we evaluate the contention that their recovery spanned over two decades. a model based on the otter age-at-death distribution suggested a large, spill-related population sink, but this has never been found, and other model predictions failed to match empirical data. studies focused on a previously-oiled area where otter numbers (~80) stagnated post-spill; nevertheless, pos ... | 2013 | 23639486 |
| testing the nutritional-limitation, predator-avoidance, and storm-avoidance hypotheses for restricted sea otter habitat use in the aleutian islands, alaska. | sea otters (enhydra lutris) inhabiting the aleutian islands have stabilized at low abundance levels following a decline and currently exhibit restricted habitat-utilization patterns. possible explanations for restricted habitat use by sea otters can be classified into two fundamentally different processes, bottom-up and top-down forcing. bottom-up hypotheses argue that changes in the availability or nutritional quality of prey resources have led to the selective use of habitats that support the ... | 2015 | 25416538 |
| exposure of sea otters and harlequin ducks in prince william sound, alaska, usa, to shoreline oil residues 20 years after the exxon valdez oil spill. | we assessed whether sea otters and harlequin ducks in an area of western prince william sound, alaska, usa (pws), oiled by the 1989 exxon valdez oil spill (evos), are exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pah) from oil residues 20 years after the spill. spilled oil has persisted in pws for two decades as surface oil residues (sor) and subsurface oil residues (ssor) on the shore. the rare sor are located primarily on the upper shore as inert, nonhazardous asphaltic deposits, and ssor are c ... | 2011 | 21298711 |
| pcb exposure in sea otters and harlequin ducks in relation to history of contamination by the exxon valdez oil spill. | exposure to contaminants other than petroleum hydrocarbons could confound interpretation of exxon valdez oil spill effects on biota at prince william sound, alaska. hence, we investigated polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) in blood of sea otters and harlequin ducks sampled during 1998. pcb concentrations characterized by lower chlorinated congeners were highest in sea otters from the unoiled area, whereas concentrations were similar among harlequin ducks from the oiled and unoiled area. blood enzy ... | 2010 | 20132952 |
| phocine distemper virus in northern sea otters in the pacific ocean, alaska, usa. | phocine distemper virus (pdv) has caused 2 epidemics in harbor seals in the atlantic ocean but had never been identified in any pacific ocean species. we found that northern sea otters in alaska are infected with pdv, which has created a disease threat to several sympatric and decreasing pacific marine mammals. | 2009 | 19523293 |
| serial depletion of marine invertebrates leads to the decline of a strongly interacting grazer. | we investigated the relative roles of natural factors and shoreline harvest leading to recent declines of the black leather chiton (katharina tunicata) on the outer kenai peninsula, alaska (u.s.a.). this intertidal mollusk is a strongly interacting grazer and a culturally important subsistence fishery for sugpiaq (chugach alutiiq) natives. we took multiple approaches to determine causes of decline. field surveys examined the significant predictors of katharina density and biomass across 11 sites ... | 2007 | 17913138 |
| ecological significance of residual exposures and effects from the exxon valdez oil spill. | an ecological significance framework is used to assess the ecological condition of prince william sound (pws), alaska, usa, in order to address the current management question: 17 y following the exxon valdez oil spill (evos), are there any remaining and continuing ecologically significant exposures or effects on the pws ecosystem caused by evos? we examined the extensive scientific literature funded by the exxon valdez trustees or by exxonmobil to assess exposures and effects from evos. criteri ... | 2006 | 16869437 |
| vertical distribution and probability of encountering intertidal exxon valdez oil on shorelines of three embayments within prince william sound, alaska. | we examined 32 shorelines selected at random in 2003 from shorelines in herring bay, lower pass, and bay of isles in prince william sound, alaska, to examine the vertical distribution of oil remaining from the 1989 exxon valdez oil spill and to estimate the probability that sea otters and ducks would encounter oil while foraging there. on each shoreline, sampling was stratified by 1-m tide height intervals and randomly located 0.25 m2 sampling quadrats were examined for evidence of surface and s ... | 2006 | 16830533 |
| biology and epidemiology of toxoplasma gondii in man and animals. | toxoplasma gondii is a coccidian parasite which utilizes felids as definitive hosts, and which has an unusually wide intermediate host range. the parasite was initially described by nicolle and manceaux in 1908 from the rodent, ctenodactylus gundi. infection with t. gondii is one of the most common parasitic infections of man and other warm-blooded animals. it has been found worldwide from alaska to australia. nearly one-third of humanity has been exposed to this parasite; serologic surveys indi ... | 2005 | 16164008 |
| are sea otters being exposed to subsurface intertidal oil residues from the exxon valdez oil spill? | twenty years after the exxon valdez oil spill, scattered patches of subsurface oil residues (ssor) can still be found in intertidal sediments at a small number of shoreline locations in prince william sound, alaska. some scientists hypothesize that sea otters continue to be exposed to ssor by direct contact when otters dig pits in search of clams. this hypothesis is examined through site-specific examinations where ssor and otter-dug pits co-occur. surveys documented the exact sediment character ... | 2011 | 21185036 |
| causes and consequences of marine mammal population declines in southwest alaska: a food-web perspective. | populations of sea otters, seals and sea lions have collapsed across much of southwest alaska over the past several decades. the sea otter decline set off a trophic cascade in which the coastal marine ecosystem underwent a phase shift from kelp forests to deforested sea urchin barrens. this interaction in turn affected the distribution, abundance and productivity of numerous other species. ecological consequences of the pinniped declines are largely unknown. increased predation by transient (mar ... | 2009 | 19451116 |