scholarly journals Campylobacter insulaenigrae Isolates from Northern Elephant Seals (Mirounga angustirostris) in California

2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 1729-1735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn A. Stoddard ◽  
William G. Miller ◽  
Janet E. Foley ◽  
Judy Lawrence ◽  
Frances M. D. Gulland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
16S Rrna ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
Phenotypic Characterization ◽  
Mirounga Angustirostris ◽  
16S Rrna Sequence ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Northern Elephant Seals ◽  
16S Rrna Sequence Analysis ◽  
Campylobacter Lari ◽  
Phenotypic Methods

ABSTRACT There are only two reports in the literature demonstrating the presence of Campylobacter spp. in marine mammals. One report describes the isolation of a new species, Campylobacter insulaenigrae sp. nov., from three harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in Scotland, and the other describes the isolation of Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter lari, and an unknown Campylobacter species from northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) in California. In this study, 72 presumptive C. lari and unknown Campylobacter species strains were characterized using standard phenotypic methods, 16S rRNA PCR, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Phenotypic characterization of these isolates showed them to be variable in their ability to grow either at 42°C or on agar containing 1% glycine and in their sensitivity to nalidixic acid and cephalothin. Based on both 16S rRNA PCR and MLST, all but 1 of the 72 isolates were C. insulaenigrae, with one isolate being similar to but distinct from both Campylobacter upsaliensis and Campylobacter helveticus. Phylogenetic analysis identified two C. insulaenigrae clades: the primary clade, containing exclusively California strains, and a secondary clade, containing some California strains and all of the original Scottish strains. This study demonstrates the inability of phenotypic characterization to correctly identify all Campylobacter species and emphasizes the importance of molecular characterization via 16S rRNA sequence analysis or MLST for the identification of Campylobacter isolates from marine mammals.

scholarly journals The rise and fall of dialects in northern elephant seals

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1892) ◽  
pp. 20182176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Casey ◽  
Colleen Reichmuth ◽  
Daniel P. Costa ◽  
Burney Le Boeuf
Keyword(s):  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Mirounga Angustirostris ◽  
Geographical Differences ◽  
Migration Patterns ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
The North ◽  
Vocal Behaviour ◽  
Northern Elephant Seals ◽  
The North Pacific

Vocal dialects are fundamental to our understanding of the transmission of social behaviours between individuals and populations, however few accounts trace this phenomenon among mammals over time. Northern elephant seals ( Mirounga angustirostris ) provide a rare opportunity to examine the trajectory of dialects in a long-lived mammalian species. Dialects were first documented in the temporal patterns of the stereotyped vocal displays produced by breeding males at four sites in the North Pacific in 1968 and 1969, as the population recovered from extreme exploitation. We evaluated the longevity of these geographical differences by comparing these early recordings to calls recently recorded at these same locations. While the presence of vocal dialects in the original recordings was re-confirmed, geographical differences in vocal behaviour were not found at these breeding rookeries nearly 50 years later. Moreover, the calls of contemporary males displayed more structural complexity after approximately four generations, with substantial between-individual variation and call features not present in the historical data. In the absence of measurable genetic variation in this species—owing to an extreme population bottleneck—a combination of migration patterns and cultural mutation are proposed as factors influencing the fall of dialects and the dramatic increase in call diversity.

The effect of rehabilitation of northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) on antimicrobial resistance of commensal Escherichia coli

2009 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 264-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn A. Stoddard ◽  
E. Rob Atwill ◽  
Patricia A. Conrad ◽  
Barbara A. Byrne ◽  
Spencer Jang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Mirounga Angustirostris ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Northern Elephant Seals

scholarly journals Mycobacterium neoaurumBacteremia in a Hemodialysis Patient

2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marissa L Becker ◽  
Amar A Suchak ◽  
Joyce N Wolfe ◽  
Ryan Zarychanski ◽  
Amin Kabani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Hemodialysis Patient ◽  
Immunocompromised Host ◽  
Blood Cultures ◽  
Clinical Suspicion ◽  
Diabetic Woman ◽  
Rrna Sequence ◽  
16S Rrna Sequence ◽  
16S Rrna Sequence Analysis

Bacteremia due toMycobacterium neoaurum, a rapidly growing mycobacterium, is described in a diabetic woman on hemodialysis. This is the first reported case of M neoaurum bacteremia in Canada. The organism initially grew on standard BacT/Alert SA aerobic blood cultures, and was subsequently positively identified using 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The present case serves to reinforce the need for a high index of clinical suspicion of infections caused by unusual microorganisms in the context of an immunocompromised host.

scholarly journals Rival assessment among northern elephant seals: evidence of associative learning during male–male contests

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (8) ◽  
pp. 150228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Casey ◽  
Isabelle Charrier ◽  
Nicolas Mathevon ◽  
Colleen Reichmuth
Keyword(s):  
Communication Strategy ◽  
Social Knowledge ◽  
Mirounga Angustirostris ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Acoustic Signatures ◽  
Dominance Relationships ◽  
Northern Elephant Seals ◽  
Rival Assessment ◽  
Male Contests

Specialized signals emitted by competing males often convey honest information about fighting ability. It is generally believed that receivers use these signals to directly assess their opponents. Here, we demonstrate an alternative communication strategy used by males in a breeding system where the costs of conflict are extreme. We evaluated the acoustic displays of breeding male northern elephant seals ( Mirounga angustirostris ), and found that social knowledge gained through prior experience with signallers was sufficient to maintain structured dominance relationships. Using sound analysis and playback experiments with both natural and modified signals, we determined that males do not rely on encoded information about size or dominance status, but rather learn to recognize individual acoustic signatures produced by their rivals. Further, we show that behavioural responses to competitors' calls are modulated by relative position in the hierarchy: the highest ranking (alpha) males defend their harems from all opponents, whereas mid-ranking (beta) males respond differentially to familiar challengers based on the outcome of previous competitive interactions. Our findings demonstrate that social knowledge of rivals alone can regulate dominance relationships among competing males within large, spatially dynamic social groups, and illustrate the importance of combining descriptive and experimental methods when deciphering the biological relevance of animal signals.

Plasma carnitine in fasting neonatal and adult northern elephant seals

1992 ◽  
Vol 263 (3) ◽  
pp. E570-E574
Author(s):  
S. H. Adams ◽  
D. P. Costa ◽  
S. C. Winter
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Acid Oxidation ◽  
Mirounga Angustirostris ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Plasma Carnitine ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Northern Elephant Seals ◽  
Free Fatty Acid Oxidation ◽  
The Impact

Maintenance of adequate body carnitine stores is a requisite for fasting mammals, whose energy is derived mainly from free fatty acid oxidation. The impact of longterm fasting on carnitine status is unclear, and there have been no reports of carnitine during naturally occurring fasts. Total (TC), free (FC), and acylated (AC) plasma carnitine levels were determined in 10 weaned and 11 adult northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) during natural fasts lasting from 1 to 3 mo. In pups, TC declined little and AC increased only slightly [P greater than 0.05, analysis of variance (ANOVA)] through 11 wk of fasting. Plasma FC dropped by 53 and 26% from week 1 values at 10 and 11 wk fasting, respectively (P = 0.014, ANOVA). The AC/FC ratio did not approach 1.0 until 7 wk of fasting. TC was 38.6 +/- 1.4 microM and 47.6 +/- 4.1 microM in adult females and males, respectively. Adult AC/FC ratios were 0.71 +/- 0.10 (females) and 0.08 +/- 0.04 (males). Plasma TC status is not negatively affected by extended fasting in adult and weaned northern elephant seals. These data support the hypothesis that fasting northern elephant seals defend plasma TC and maintain an attenuated AC/FC ratio well into their prolonged natural fast.

Mycobacterium marinum infections in humans and tracing of its possible environmental sources

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Slany ◽  
Petr Jezek ◽  
Vera Fiserova ◽  
Monika Bodnarova ◽  
Jiri Stork ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Analysis ◽  
16S Rrna ◽  
Correct Diagnosis ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Mycobacterium Marinum ◽  
Mycobacterium Fortuitum ◽  
Rrna Sequence ◽  
16S Rrna Sequence ◽  
Mycobacterium Chelonae ◽  
16S Rrna Sequence Analysis

The low frequency of nontuberculous mycobacterial infections, nonspecific symptoms for individual mycobacteria, and the lack of specific identification methods could alter correct diagnosis. This study presents a combined microbiology and molecular-based approach for Mycobacterium marinum detection in four aquarists with cutaneous mycobacterial infection. Simultaneously, ecology screening for M. marinum presence in the aquarists’ fish tanks was performed. A total of 38 mycobacterial isolates originated from four human patients (n = 20), aquarium animals (n = 8), and an aquarium environment (n = 10). Isolate identification was carried out using 16S rRNA sequence analysis. A microbiology-based approach, followed by 16S rRNA sequence analysis, was successfully used for detection of M. marinum in all four patients. Animal and environmental samples were simultaneously examined, and a total of seven mycobacterial species were isolated: Mycobacterium chelonae , Mycobacterium fortuitum , Mycobacterium gordonae , Mycobacterium kansasii , Mycobacterium mantenii , Mycobacterium marinum , and Mycobacterium peregrinum . The presence of M. marinum was proven in the aquarium environments of two patients. Although M. marinum is described as being present in water, it was detected only in fish.

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