A Florida bottlenose dolphin was found with bird influenza in a landmark case studied by University of Florida researchers and other firms, highlighting the inter-species transmission risks of this virus.Researchers recorded the very first North American cetacean case of avian influenza in a Florida dolphin, underscoring the requirement for additional research on this cross-species infection transmission.The case of a Florida bottlenose dolphin found with highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, or HPAIV– a discovery made by University of Florida scientists in collaboration with numerous other companies and among the very first reports of a continuously growing list of mammals impacted by this infection– has been published in Communications Biology.Detailed Investigation and AnalysisThe report documents the discovery, the first finding of HPAIV in a cetacean in North America, from the preliminary action by UFs Marine Animal Rescue team to a report of a distressed dolphin in Dixie County, Florida, to the subsequent recognition of the virus from brain and tissue samples acquired in a postmortem examination.Analyses initially performed at UFs zoological medication diagnostic lab dismissed the existence of other possible representatives at play in the dolphins illness, with the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Kissimmee, Florida, verifying the presence of HPAI virus in both the lung and brain.Those results were verified by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, which characterized the virus subtype and pathotype. The infection was validated to be HPAI A (H5N1) virus of HA clade 2.3.4.4 b. Subsequent tissue analysis was carried out at the Biosafety Level 3 boosted laboratory at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis.Collaborative Efforts and Research ImplicationsAllison Murawski, D.V.M., a previous intern with UFs water animal medicine program, was first author on the study and established a case report on the dolphin as part of her research task. She traveled to Memphis and worked carefully with Richard Webby, Ph.D., who directs the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds at St. Judes and functioned as matching author on the paperWebbys laboratory investigates bird influenza cases in many types and was type in figuring out where the virus may have come from, what unique RNA qualities or mutations existed that could suggest its capability to infect other mammals, and how the virus might be tracked from this source.The scientists sequenced the genomes from regional birds and took a look at viruses separated from Northeast seal populations.” We still do not know where the dolphin got the infection and more research needs to be done,” Webby stated.” This examination was an essential action in understanding this virus and is a great example where happenstance accompanies interest, needing to answer the why and after that seeing how the several groups and knowledge took this to a great representation of collaborative quality,” said Mike Walsh, D.V.M., an associate professor of aquatic animal health, who functioned as Murawskis professors mentor.Reference: “Highly pathogenic avian influenza A( H5N1) infection in a common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in Florida” by Allison Murawski, Thomas Fabrizio, Robert Ossiboff, Christina Kackos, Trushar Jeevan, Jeremy C. Jones, Ahmed Kandeil, David Walker, Jasmine C. M. Turner, Christopher Patton, Elena A. Govorkova, Helena Hauck, Suzanna Mickey, Brittany Barbeau, Y. Reddy Bommineni, Mia Torchetti, Kristina Lantz, Lisa Kercher, Andrew B. Allison, Peter Vogel, Michael Walsh and Richard J. Webby, 18 April 2024, Communications Biology.DOI: 10.1038/ s42003-024-06173-x.
