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Title: MOLECULAR AND ANTIGENIC CHARACTERIZATION OF BORDETELLA BRONCHISEPTICA ISOLATED FROM A WILD SOUTHERN SEA OTTER (ENHYDRA LUTRIS NEREIS) WITH SUPPURATIVE BRONCHOPNEUMONIA

Author
item STAVELEY, CLARE - DEPT. OF FISH & GAME, CA
item REGISTER, KAREN
item MILLER, MELISSA - DEPT. OF FISH & GAME, CA
item BROCKMEIER, SUSAN
item JANG, SPENCER - UNIV. OF CALIF., DAVIS

Submitted to: Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/8/2002
Publication Date: 11/20/2003
Citation: STAVELEY, C., REGISTER, K.B., MILLER, M., BROCKMEIER, S., JANG, S. MOLECULAR AND ANTIGENIC CHARACTERIZATION OF BORDETELLA BRONCHISEPTICA ISOLATED FROM A WILD SOUTHERN SEA OTTER (ENHYDRA LUTRIS NEREIS) WITH SUPPURATIVE BRONCHOPNEUMONIA. JOURNAL OF VETERINARY DIAGNOSTIC INVESTIGATION. 2003. v. 15. p. 570-574.

Interpretive Summary: Bordetella bronchiseptica is a respiratory pathogen associated with atrophic rhinitis in pigs and rats and severe bronchopneumonia in dogs, cats, and rabbits. It has recently been implicated as a key secondary pathogen in a European morbillivirus epidemic in seals. Genetic analysis indicates a single unique clone of B. bronchiseptica circulates in the seal lpopulation. The present study describes, for the first time, the isolatio of this bacterium from a wild, free-ranging southern sea otter with a fatal suppurative bronchopneumonia. B. bronchiseptica is not considered to be part of the normal flora of this species. Genetic analysis showed that the sea otter isolate is most similar to isolates acquired from dogs and cats, suggesting the possibility of direct cross-species transmission between land and sea mammals.

Technical Abstract: Bordetella bronchiseptica was isolated in pure culture from the lung and abdominal and intestinal fluids of a wild, free-ranging southern sea otter with a fatal suppurative bronchopneumonia. Immunohistochemistry revealed strong positive staining for B. bronchiseptica in the ciliated epithelia of all sections of the lung tissue examined. Western blot analysis showed that the virulence factors filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin, and adenylate cyclase toxin are produced by the sea otter isolate. Ribotype analysis using Pvu II restriction digests indicated that this strain is most similar to isolates commonly obtained in domesticated dogs and cats.