AUTHOR=Romani-Cremaschi Umberto , Zoppi Simona , Mattioda Virginia , Audino Tania , Marsili Letizia , Varello Katia , Iulini Barbara , Marra Cristina , Zoccola Roberto , Battistini Roberta , Dondo Alessandro , Garibaldi Fulvio , Berio Enrica , Pautasso Alessandra , Rosso Massimiliano , Ascheri Davide , Casalone Cristina , Grattarola Carla , Giorda Federica 

TITLE=Morganella morganii septicemia and concurrent renal crassicaudiasis in a Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) stranded in Italy

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.1058724

DOI=10.3389/fmars.2022.1058724

ISSN=2296-7745

ABSTRACT=<p>Information regarding bacterial diseases in Cuvier’s beaked whale (CBW, Ziphius cavirostris) is scattered and mostly incomplete. This report describes a case of septicemia by <italic>Morganella morganii</italic> in a juvenile male CBW with concurrent renal crassicaudiasis. The animal stranded along the Ligurian coastline (Italy) and underwent a systematic post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death. Histopathology showed lesions consistent with a septicemic infection, severe meningoencephalitis, and renal crassicaudiasis. An <italic>M. morganii</italic> alpha-hemolytic strain was isolated in pure culture from liver, lung, prescapular lymph node, spleen, hepatic and renal abscesses, and central nervous system (CNS). The antimicrobial susceptibility profile of the strain was evaluated with the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) method and reduced susceptibility to Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole is reported. Crassicauda sp. nematodes were retrieved from both kidneys. No other pathogens were detected by immunohistochemistry, serology, or biomolecular analyses. Toxicological investigations detected high concentrations of immunosuppressant pollutants in the blubber. The chronic parasitic infestation and the toxic effects of xenobiotics likely compromised the animal's health, predisposing it to an opportunistic bacterial infection. To our knowledge, this is the first description of <italic>M. morganii</italic> septicemia with CNS involvement in a wild cetacean.
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