| classification of brucella strains isolated from marine mammals by infrequent restriction site-pcr and development of specific pcr identification tests. | brucella strains have been isolated since the 1990s from a wide variety of marine mammals and represent potential zoonotic pathogens. they have distinctive phenotypic and molecular characteristics from the terrestrial mammal brucella species, and two new species names have been previously proposed based on dna polymorphism at the omp2 locus and their preferential host, i.e. brucella cetaceae for cetacean isolates and brucella pinnipediae for pinniped isolates. the results presented in this study ... | 2003 | 12787735 |
| dna polymorphism in the omp25/omp31 family of brucella spp.: identification of a 1.7-kb inversion in brucella cetaceae and of a 15.1-kb genomic island, absent from brucella ovis, related to the synthesis of smooth lipopolysaccharide. | five genes homologous to the well-known omp25 and omp31 genes, that code for two major brucella spp. outer membrane proteins (omps), have been detected in the genome of brucella melitensis 16m and brucella suis 1330. in this work we have determined the nucleotide sequence of these five genes, named omp31b, omp25b, omp25c, omp25d and omp22, in the six classical brucella species reference strains and in representative strains of the recently proposed species brucella cetaceae and brucella pinniped ... | 2004 | 15374004 |
| oxidative metabolic profiles of brucella strains isolated from marine mammals: contribution to their species classification. | since the 1990s, brucella strains not matching the characteristics of any of the six conventional species have been isolated worldwide from marine mammals. in this study, 31 brucella strains isolated from various marine mammals were examined for their oxidative metabolic pattern on 12 amino-acid and carbohydrate substrates. three main oxidative profiles different from those of the brucella terrestrial mammal strains were identified for the marine mammal strains: one gathering strains isolated fr ... | 2007 | 17326752 |
| brucella ceti sp. nov. and brucella pinnipedialis sp. nov. for brucella strains with cetaceans and seals as their preferred hosts. | small gram-negative cocco-bacilli resembling brucella strains have been reported from marine mammals since the mid-1990s. their placement in the genus brucella has been supported by the following characteristics: they are aerobic, non-motile and catalase-positive, do not produce acid from carbohydrates and have a dna-dna relatedness value of >77% with the six established members of the genus. twenty-eight european isolates of the genus brucella from marine mammals were distinguished from the six ... | 2007 | 17978241 |
| brucella ceti associated pathology in the testicle of a harbour porpoise (phocoena phocoena). | brucellosis is reported increasingly in marine mammals and the marine species of brucella are capable of causing community acquired zoonotic infections in humans as well as abortion in cattle as a result of experimental infection. this case report describes pathology associated with an isolate of brucella ceti that was successfully cultured from, and immunolabelled in, the testis and epididymis of an adult sexually mature free-living harbour porpoise (phocoena phocoena). this is the first report ... | 2008 | 18514217 |
| identification of novel dna fragments and partial sequence of a genomic island specific of brucella pinnipedialis. | since the 1990s, brucella strains have been isolated from a wide variety of marine mammals and were recently recognized as two different species, i.e. brucella pinnipedialis for pinniped isolates and brucella ceti for cetacean isolates. the aim of this study was to identify specific dna fragments of marine mammal brucella strains using a previously described infrequent restriction site-pcr (irs-pcr) method but with three new couples of restriction enzymes applied on a larger panel of marine mamm ... | 2008 | 18514443 |
| brucella: a mr "hide" converted into dr jekyll. | dr david bruce (1855-1931) first identified the causative agent of brucellosis as a small gram-negative alpha-proteobacterium, which was later on called brucella melitensis in his honor by meyer and shaw. nowadays, four strains exhibit pathogenicity in humans with b. melitensis being the least host specific and also the most infectious for humans. the other strains are brucella suis and brucella abortus and more recently human cases being infected with brucella cetaceae have been reported. why s ... | 2008 | 18664389 |
| neurobrucellosis in stranded dolphins, costa rica. | ten striped dolphins, stenella coeruleoalba, stranded along the costa rican pacific coast, had meningoencephalitis and antibodies against brucella spp. brucella ceti was isolated from cerebrospinal fluid of 6 dolphins and 1 fetus. s. coeruleoalba constitutes a highly susceptible host and a potential reservoir for b. ceti transmission. | 2008 | 18760012 |
| analysis of ten brucella genomes reveals evidence for horizontal gene transfer despite a preferred intracellular lifestyle. | the facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen brucella infects a wide range of warm-blooded land and marine vertebrates and causes brucellosis. currently, there are nine recognized brucella species based on host preferences and phenotypic differences. the availability of 10 different genomes consisting of two chromosomes and representing six of the species allowed for a detailed comparison among themselves and relatives in the order rhizobiales. phylogenomic analysis of ortholog families show ... | 2009 | 19346311 |
| serological diagnosis of brucella infections in odontocetes. | brucella ceti causes disease in odontoceti. the absence of control serum collections and the diversity of cetaceans have hampered the standardization of serological tests for the diagnosis of cetacean brucellosis. without a "gold" standard for sensitivity and specificity determination, an alternative approach was followed. we designed an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ielisa) that recognizes immunoglobulins g (iggs) from 17 odontocete species as a single group. for the standardizati ... | 2009 | 19386800 |
| mlva-16 typing of 295 marine mammal brucella isolates from different animal and geographic origins identifies 7 major groups within brucella ceti and brucella pinnipedialis. | since 1994, brucella strains have been isolated from a wide range of marine mammals. they are currently recognized as two new brucella species, b. pinnipedialis for the pinniped isolates and b. ceti for the cetacean isolates in agreement with host preference and specific phenotypic and molecular markers. in order to investigate the genetic relationships within the marine mammal brucella isolates and with reference to terrestrial mammal brucella isolates, we applied in this study the multiple loc ... | 2009 | 19619320 |
| pathology of striped dolphins (stenella coeruleoalba) infected with brucella ceti. | seventeen striped dolphins (stenella coeruleoalba) displaying swimming disorders compatible with neurological syndromes were investigated for brucella infection. sixteen dolphins had meningoencephalomyelitis. serum antibody against brucella antigen was detected in all 14 animals tested and brucella ceti was isolated from eight out of nine animals. brucella antigen was detected in the brain by immunofluorescence, but not by immunohistochemical labelling. by contrast, brucella antigen was demonstr ... | 2010 | 19954790 |
| the changing brucella ecology: novel reservoirs, new threats. | brucellosis is a zoonosis that preceded humans but continues to cause significant medical, veterinary and socioeconomic problems, mainly because its overall burden remains underestimated and neglected. its ecology, or what we know of it, has evolved rapidly in recent years. two novel species, brucella ceti and b. pinnipedialis, with the potential for causing human disease have been isolated from marine mammals. another novel species, b. microti, has been isolated from wildlife animals, whilst b. ... | 2010 | 20696557 |
| novel is711-specific chromosomal locations useful for identification and classification of marine mammal brucella strains. | we report five new is711 chromosomal locations that are specific for marine mammal brucella groups of strains and useful for their identification and classification. our data support their current classification into two species, brucella ceti and b. pinnipedialis, with subgroups in each, but also the possibility of additional species. | 2010 | 20702670 |
| brucella ceti infection in harbor porpoise (phocoena phocoena). | we describe brucella sp. infection and associated lesions in a harbor porpoise (phocoena phocoena) found on the coast of belgium. the infection was diagnosed by immunohistochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, and bacteriology, and the organism was identified as b. ceti. the infection's location in the porpoise raises questions of abortion and zoonotic risks. | 2010 | 21122233 |
| infection with brucella ceti and high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus) stranded in south-west england. | eight bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus) that stranded in cornwall, south-west england, between june 2004 and december 2007 were examined using standardised postmortem examination and bacteriological methods. evidence of brucella species infection was found in four of these dolphins on culture. in addition, of the eight dolphins, four were positive and two were weakly positive for antibodies to brucella species on serological analyses of pericardial and other fluids using a competitive eli ... | 2011 | 21676987 |
| a review of brucella infection in marine mammals, with special emphasis on brucella pinnipedialis in the hooded seal (cystophora cristata). | abstract: brucella spp. were isolated from marine mammals for the first time in 1994. two novel species were later included in the genus; brucella ceti and brucella pinnipedialis, with cetaceans and seals as their preferred hosts, respectively. brucella spp. have since been isolated from a variety of marine mammals. pathological changes, including lesions of the reproductive organs and associated abortions, have only been registered in cetaceans. the zoonotic potential differs among the marine m ... | 2011 | 21819589 |
| brucella ceti and brucellosis in cetaceans. | since the first case of brucellosis detected in a dolphin aborted fetus, an increasing number of brucella ceti isolates has been reported in members of the two suborders of cetaceans: mysticeti and odontoceti. serological surveys have shown that cetacean brucellosis may be distributed worldwide in the oceans. although all b. ceti isolates have been included within the same species, three different groups have been recognized according to their preferred host, bacteriological properties, and dist ... | 2012 | 22919595 |
| brucella ceti infection in dolphins from the western mediterranean sea. | brucella ceti infections have been increasingly reported in cetaceans. brucellosis in these animals is associated with meningoencephalitis, abortion, discospondylitis', subcutaneous abscesses, endometritis and other pathological conditions b. ceti infections have been frequently described in dolphins from both, the atlantic and pacific oceans. in the mediterranean sea, only two reports have been made: one from the italian tyrrhenian sea and the other from the adriatic sea. | 2014 | 25224818 |
| glutamate decarboxylase-dependent acid resistance in brucella spp.: distribution and contribution to fitness under extremely acidic conditions. | brucella is an expanding genus of major zoonotic pathogens, including at least 10 genetically very close species occupying a wide range of niches from soil to wildlife, livestock, and humans. recently, we have shown that in the new species brucella microti, the glutamate decarboxylase (gad)-dependent system (gad system) contributes to survival at a ph of 2.5 and also to infection in mice by the oral route. in order to study the functionality of the gad system in the genus brucella, 47 isolates, ... | 2015 | 25381237 |
| marine mammal brucella reference strains are attenuated in a balb/c mouse model. | brucellosis is a zoonosis of worldwide distribution with numerous animal host species. since the novel isolation of brucella spp. from marine mammals in 1994 the bacteria have been isolated from various marine mammal hosts. the marine mammal reference strains brucella pinnipedialis 12890 (harbour seal, phoca vitulina) and brucella ceti 12891 (harbour porpoise, phocoena phocoena) were included in genus brucella in 2007, however, their pathogenicity in the mouse model is pending. herein this is ev ... | 2016 | 26959235 |
| advancement of knowledge of brucella over the past 50 years. | fifty years ago, bacteria in the genus brucella were known to cause infertility and reproductive losses. at that time, the genus was considered to contain only 3 species: brucella abortus, brucella melitensis, and brucella suis. since the early 1960s, at least 7 new species have been identified as belonging to the brucella genus (brucella canis, brucella ceti, brucella inopinata, brucella microti, brucella neotomae, brucella ovis, and brucella pinnipedialis) with several additional new species u ... | 2014 | 24981716 |
| isolation and characterization of a novel marine brucella from a southern sea otter (enhydra lutris nereis), california, usa. | we characterize brucella infection in a wild southern sea otter ( enhydra lutris nereis) with osteolytic lesions similar to those reported in other marine mammals and humans. this otter stranded twice along the central california coast, us over a 1-yr period and was handled extensively at two wildlife rehabilitation facilities, undergoing multiple surgeries and months of postsurgical care. ultimately the otter was euthanized due to severe, progressive neurologic disease. necropsy and postmortem ... | 2017 | 28151078 |
| commentary: advancement of knowledge of brucella over the past 50 years. | | 2015 | 26664956 |
| first report of brucella ceti-associated meningoencephalitis in a long-finned pilot whale globicephala melas. | fatal brucella ceti infection with histological lesions specific to the central nervous system has been described in only 3 species of cetaceans: striped dolphins stenella coeruleoalba, atlantic white-sided dolphins lagenorhynchus acutus and short-beaked common dolphins delphinus delphis. this paper describes the first report of a b. ceti-associated meningoencephalitis in a long-finned pilot whale globicephala melas, showing the increasing range of species susceptibility. brucella was recovered ... | 2015 | 26503778 |
| isolation of brucella ceti from a long-finned pilot whale (globicephala melas) and a sowerby's beaked whale (mesoploden bidens). | brucella ceti is an emerging zoonotic pathogen that has been recovered from several species of cetaceans in the world's oceans over the past 20 yr. we report the recovery of b. ceti from a sowerby's beaked whale (mesoploden bidens) and a long-finned pilot whale (globicehala melas). recovery from the testis of a long-finned pilot whale provides further evidence of potential for b. ceti infection to impact the reproductive success of cetaceans, many of which are threatened species. the addition of ... | 2015 | 26285099 |
| western blot expression of 5-lipoxygenase in the brain from striped dolphins (stenella coeruleoalba) and bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus) with or without encephalitis/meningo-encephalitis of infectious nature. | dolphin morbillivirus (dmv), toxoplasma gondii and brucella ceti are pathogens of major concern for wild cetaceans. although a more or less severe encephalitis/meningo-encephalitis may occur in striped dolphins (stenella coeruleoalba) and bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus) infected by the aforementioned agents, almost no information is available on the neuropathogenesis of brain lesions, including the neuronal and non-neuronal cells targeted during infection, along with the mechanisms unde ... | 2015 | 25864766 |
| draft genome sequences of brucella suis biovar 4 strain nctc 10385, brucella ceti strain nctc 12891t, brucella inopinata strain camp 6436t, and brucella neotomae strain atcc 23459t. | with the aim of developing quantitative pcr methods for the detection and differentiation of brucella species, the genomes of brucella ceti, brucella inopinata, brucella netotomae, and brucella suis biovar 4 were sequenced and analyzed. | 2014 | 25278518 |
| identification and typing of brucella spp. in stranded harbour porpoises (phocoena phocoena) on the dutch coast. | the presence of brucella (b.) spp. in harbour porpoises stranded between 2008 and 2011 along the dutch coast was studied. a selection of 265 tissue samples from 112 animals was analysed using conventional and molecular methods. in total, 4.5% (5/112) of the animals corresponding with 2.3% (6/265) brucella positive tissue samples were brucella positive by culture and these were all confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time pcr) based on the insertion element 711 (is711). in addi ... | 2014 | 25115787 |
| infection of california sea lions (zalophus californianus) with terrestrial brucella spp. | infections with brucella ceti and pinnipedialis are prevalent in marine mammals worldwide. a total of 22 california sea lions (zalophus californianus) were examined to determine their exposure to brucella spp. at san esteban island in the gulf of california, mexico, in june and july 2011. although samples of blood, vaginal mucus and milk cultured negative for these bacteria, the application of rose bengal, agar gel immunodiffusion, pcr and modified fluorescence polarization assays found that fiv ... | 2014 | 25066000 |
| real-time pcr assays for detection of brucella spp. and the identification of genotype st27 in bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus). | rapid detection of brucella spp. in marine mammals is challenging. microbiologic culture is used for definitive diagnosis of brucellosis, but is time consuming, has low sensitivity and can be hazardous to laboratory personnel. serological methods can aid in diagnosis, but may not differentiate prior exposure versus current active infection and may cross-react with unrelated gram-negative bacteria. this study reports a real-time pcr assay for the detection of brucella spp. and application to scre ... | 2014 | 24632518 |
| complete genome sequence of a brucella ceti st26 strain isolated from a striped dolphin (stenella coeruleoalba) on the coast of italy. | brucella spp. are important pathogens affecting a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic animals. we report the complete and annotated genome sequence of brucella ceti st26 strain te10759-12, isolated from a striped dolphin (stenella coeruleoalba) stranded along the italian shoreline in march of 2012. | 2014 | 24604638 |
| brucella ceti from two striped dolphins stranded on the apulia coastline, italy. | since 1994, when brucella ceti was first isolated from an aborted dolphin fetus, several cases have been reported worldwide. the first case of b. ceti in the mediterranean (and in italy), however, was recorded only in 2012, off the coast of tuscany. extensive studies, using serological and microbiological methods, have documented this bacterium in dolphins and demonstrated its zoonotic potential. we describe the typing of two b. ceti strains isolated from striped dolphins (stenella coeruleoalba) ... | 2014 | 24324028 |
| wildlife reservoirs of brucellosis: brucella in aquatic environments. | neurobrucellosis and osteomyelitis are common pathologies of humans and cetaceans infected with brucella ceti or b. pinnipedialis. currently, 53 species of marine mammal are known to show seropositivity for brucellae, and b. ceti or b. pinnipedialis have been isolated or identified in polymerase chain reaction assays in 18 of these species. brucellae have also been isolated from fish and identified in lungworm parasites of pinnipeds and cetaceans. despite these circumstances, there are no local ... | 2013 | 23837368 |
| meningoencephalitis and arthritis associated with brucella ceti in a short-beaked common dolphin (delphinus delphis). | brucella species infection in marine mammal species has been reported to have a global distribution. in 2007, the description of brucella ceti was published and formally adopted for those isolates originating from cetaceans and pathologic lesions similar to those seen in terrestrial mammals infected with brucella spp. have been associated with its isolation. brucella ceti infection specific to the central nervous system has been described in two species of cetacean: striped dolphins (stenella co ... | 2013 | 23778612 |
| the presence of brucella ceti st26 in a striped dolphin (stenella coeruleoalba) with meningoencephalitis from the mediterranean sea. | brucella spp. was isolated from brain, lung and intestinal lymph nodes of a dead adult male striped dolphin (stenella coeruleoalba) found stranded on the tyrrhenian coast (tuscany, italy) of the mediterranean sea in february 2012. brucella spp. was associated with moderate to severe lesions of meningoencephalitis. a co-infection by toxoplasma gondii was also demonstrated at brain level by means of molecular and histopathologic methods. the brucella isolate was further characterized based on a fr ... | 2013 | 23419820 |
| brucella ceti infection in a common minke whale ( balaenoptera acutorostrata ) with associated pathology. | there are three major lineages of marine mammal strains of brucella spp.: brucella ceti st23, found predominantly in porpoises; b. ceti st26, in pelagic delphinids and ziphiids; and brucella pinnipedialis st24/25, predominantly in seals. the isolation of brucella spp. in mysticetes has been described only in common minke whales ( balaenoptera acutorostrata ) in norway and scotland. we report a third case of brucella infection and isolation in a minke whale associated with a large abscess. in con ... | 2017 | 28418765 |
| brucella genetic variability in wildlife marine mammals populations relates to host preference and ocean distribution. | intracellular bacterial pathogens probably arose when their ancestor adapted from a free-living environment to an intracellular one, leading to clonal bacteria with smaller genomes and less sources of genetic plasticity. still, this plasticity is needed to respond to the challenges posed by the host. members of the brucella genus are facultative-extracellular intracellular bacteria responsible for causing brucellosis in a variety of mammals. the various species keep different host preferences, v ... | 2017 | 28854602 |
| isolation of brucella pinnipedialis from grey seals (halichoerus grypus) in the baltic sea. | brucella infection in seals was reported for the first time in 1994 around the coast of scotland. since then, marine mammal brucella infections were found to be widely distributed in the northern hemisphere. two brucella species affect marine mammals: brucella pinnipedialis in pinnipeds and brucella ceti in cetaceans. we examined the livers of baltic grey seals (halichoerus grypus) from the finnish coast (n=122) hunted, found dead, or killed as by-catch in fishing gear in 2013-15 as part of popu ... | 2017 | 28715291 |