The case of a Florida bottlenose dolphin found to have highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, or HPAIV, a discovery made by researchers at the University of Florida in collaboration with many other agencies and one of the first reports in a list in constant growth of mammals affected by this virus. — has been published in Communications Biology.
The report documents the discovery, the first finding of HPAIV in a cetacean in North America, from the UF Marine Animal Rescue team’s initial response to a report of a distressed dolphin in Dixie County, Florida, to the subsequent identification of the virus in the brain. and tissue samples obtained in a post-mortem examination.
Tests initially performed at the UF zoological medicine diagnostic laboratory ruled out the presence of other potential agents involved in dolphin disease, and the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Kissimmee, Florida, verified the presence of the HPAI virus both in the lung as in the brain.
Those results were confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, which characterized the subtype and pathotype of the virus. The virus was confirmed to be HPAI A (H5N1) virus of the HA 2.3.4.4b clade. Subsequent tissue analysis was performed in the enhanced Biosafety Level 3 laboratory at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis.
Allison Murawski, DVM, a former intern in UF’s aquatic animal medicine program, was the first author of the study and developed a case report on the dolphin as part of her research project. She traveled to Memphis and worked closely with Richard Webby, Ph.D., who directs the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds at St. Jude’s and was the author corresponding to the article.
Webby’s lab investigates cases of avian influenza in many species and was key to determining where the virus may have originated, what unique RNA features or mutations were present that might suggest its ability to infect other mammals, and how the virus could be tracked. from this source.
The researchers sequenced the genomes of local birds and looked at viruses isolated from northeastern seal populations.
“We still don’t know where the dolphin got the virus from and more research needs to be done,” Webby said.
“This research was an important step in understanding this virus and is a great example of serendipity meets curiosity, having to answer the ‘why’ and then seeing how multiple groups and experts brought this to a conclusion.” fantastic representation of collaborative excellence,” said Mike Walsh, DVM, associate professor of aquatic animal health, who served as Murawski’s faculty mentor.