The man I met was published (again)

On March 3, 2008, a prominent Spanish scientist published an important paper in Emerging Infectious Diseases. I was excited to read it, especially since I sat at a table with him last fall and discussed his research over tea.

This man, Juan-Antonio Raga, PhD, works at the Marine Zoology Unit in Valencia, Spain. His research, titled “Dolphin Morbillivirus Epizootic, Mediterranean Sea,” explores the resurgence of a fatal virus that’s killing dolphins, porpoises and whales off the Spanish coast.

I just might get to study with him,

if I’m lucky. Below, I’ve outlined what he’s done to make me want to do that…

In July 2007, more than 100 striped dolphins, Stenella coeruleoalba, were found dead along the coast of the Spanish Mediterranean. Of 10 dolphins tested, 7 were positive for a virus strain closely related to the dolphin morbillivirus that was isolated during a previous widespread infection in 1990.

Both infections began in approximately the same region (the Strait of Gibraltar) and at the same time. Both followed a similar course of infection, according to stranding patterns. However, in the current wave, younger animals were apparently more severely affected by the disease.

Two major questions need to be answered concerning why: 1) what was the source of infection or reinfection, and 2) did environmental stress (e.g., pollutants, adverse weather, fisheries) precipitate the epizootics.

The source of the infection, question 1, is completely murky. With regard to the second question, however, there are some leads; striped dolphins killed by the disease in 1990 had particularly high polychlorinated biphenyls levels, and water temperatures were abnormally high during the winter before the epizootic.The role of these environmental factors in the 2007 epizootic remains to be more fully investigated.

I hope I get to help.

.MGW.

~ by meagangwhite on March 28, 2008.