Assessing the Pathogenicity of Halophilic Vibrio Bacteria and Other Mircroorganisms for Mammals Held in Captivity

摘要

The health and ill population at dolphins at NOSC, Hawaii, their feed and their environmental sea pens were monitored for normal and for pathogenic bacteria, especially Vibrio spp. The predominant vibrio bacteria recovered from the sea pen water and from the blowholes of healthy dolphins was V. alginolyticus. The recovery of bacteria other than V. alginolyticus from the blowholes of dolphins was indicative that the dolphin's health was being compromised. V. damsela, a known pathogen, was determined, to cause wound infections in dolphins. Judicious use of antibiotics can be used to treat these wound infections. Strong evidence was obtained that V. vulnificus, the most virulent species of vibrio caused internal infection and death of a dolphin. Other bacteria implicated in causing diseases and deaths in dolphins are Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Pasteurella multocida.