Full-thickness epidermal biopsy samples were collected from free-ranging common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida, USA. Season (summer or winter) of collection, mercury (Hg) concentration, and selenium (Se) concentration were compared to histologic parameters. Epidermal Hg concentration was positively related to age (P<0.001) and negatively related to height of the stratum spinosum (P<0.05). The mitotic index and heights of the stratum externum and intermedium were lower in summer than in winter (P<0.01). Transmission electron microscopic examination revealed variation in the diameters (60–138 nm) and arrangements of collagen fibers, regardless of age or concentrations of Hg and Se. The significance of the variation in height of the stratum spinosum and the perivascular collagen degeneration to dolphin health need further investigation.
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October 01 2011
Histologic Findings in Free-ranging Sarasota Bay Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Skin: Mercury, Selenium, and Seasonal Factors
Debra L. Miller;
Debra L. Miller
6
1The University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine, VDIL, Tifton, Georgia 31793, USA
4University of Tennessee, Center for Wildlife Health, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
6 Corresponding author (email: dmille42@utk.edu)
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Victoria Woshner;
Victoria Woshner
2Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
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Eloise L. Styer;
Eloise L. Styer
1The University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine, VDIL, Tifton, Georgia 31793, USA
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Sylvia Ferguson;
Sylvia Ferguson
3The University of Georgia, College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
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Katrina K. Knott;
Katrina K. Knott
2Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
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Matthew J. Gray;
Matthew J. Gray
4University of Tennessee, Center for Wildlife Health, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
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Randall S. Wells;
Randall S. Wells
5Chicago Zoological Society, c/o Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida 34236, USA
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Todd M. O’Hara
Todd M. O’Hara
2Wildlife Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Biology and Wildlife and Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska 99775, USA
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J Wildl Dis (2011) 47 (4): 1012–1018.
Article history
Received:
July 29 2010
Accepted:
June 24 2011
Citation
Debra L. Miller, Victoria Woshner, Eloise L. Styer, Sylvia Ferguson, Katrina K. Knott, Matthew J. Gray, Randall S. Wells, Todd M. O’Hara; Histologic Findings in Free-ranging Sarasota Bay Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Skin: Mercury, Selenium, and Seasonal Factors. J Wildl Dis 1 October 2011; 47 (4): 1012–1018. doi: https://doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-47.4.1012
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