Scientists said a dolphin found dead in a Florida canal tested positive for a strain of bird flu. The same type of bird flu was found in a porpoise in Sweden.
The spread of this version of the virus has affected a wide range of birds. The first two documented cases in cetaceans are the findings.
Richard Webby said that the discovery of the virus in two different species on two different continents suggests that there have been other cases.
Dr Webby, who was not involved in the initial detection of the virus, is working with the Florida team on follow-up studies.
He said that it wouldn't be surprising to see the pathogen in other species because the virus has become so widespread in birds. I think this is a sign of what's to come if this virus doesn't disappear
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The risk to humans is low, according to experts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the version of the virus that is circulating in the United States has caused one documented human infections.
There are risks to wildlife from the spread of the virus to new species.
According to the Agriculture Department, tens of millions of birds have been affected by this strain of bird flu. Compared to previous versions of the virus, this one has taken a heavy toll on the wild bird population.
That has put mammals in danger. The outbreak turned up in a number of animals. There has been a spike in seal strandings in Maine due to bird flu.
The Florida dolphin, a young male, was found in March in a canal inDixie County, where area residents noticed that the animal had become trapped between the pilings of a pier and a sea wall.
He said that the dolphin had died when rescuers arrived. The necropsies team collected samples from the dolphin and kept them until they could be analyzed in more detail.
The scientists had no reason to suspect that bird flu had made its way into dolphins and they were not in a hurry.
The results showed signs of inflammation in the dolphin's brain and the surrounding tissues. Birds and mammals can be affected by brain inflammation caused by the virus in fox kits.
The dolphin's brain and lungs tested positive for H5N1. There was a high level of virus in the brain tissue.
It is not known whether the virus contributed to the dolphin's death. It is easy to imagine a young dolphin looking at an ailing bird near the shoreline. He might be very curious about a sick or dead bird. He may say something.
The Swedish National Veterinary Institute said last week that the virus was responsible for the death of a porpoise. The brain was one of the organs that the pathogen was found in.
There is no evidence that cetaceans are spreading the disease to each other. Dr. Webby's team did not find any signs that it had picked up any changes associated with mammals. He said it looked like a Viruses that you would pick up from a bird.
Now that dolphins and porpoises are known to be vulnerable to the virus, researchers can begin to look for it more often.
Everyone will be on guard for this. That will show us how serious this is for cetaceans on the coastline.
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