Post-mortem Findings in Cetacean Stranded along Italian Adriatic Sea coastline (2000-2006)

Stranded cetaceans offer a unique opportunity for collecting data on the health status of dolphin and whale free-living populations. Between 2000 and 2006, the National Stranding Networks described 163 stranded marine mammals along the Italian coastline of the Adriatic Sea. A complete post-mortem examination was possible on 13 entire and well preserved animals. Pneumonia was one of the most commonly encountered lesion, especially Halocercus lagenorhynchi-associated bronchopneumonia. Additional findings were nephritits, hepatitis and Pholeter gastrophilus-associated gastritis. Parasites were often found in most of the examined organs and tissues and in many cases. Granulomatous meningoencephalitis by Cladosporium spp. was observed in a female bottlenose dolphin, while papilloma-like lesions were observed on the rostrum and in the oral cavity of other two female bottlenose dolphins. Other peculiar findings were heterotopic renal tissue in the lung parenchyma of the common dolphin. In a few cases, putative zoonotic agents, such as Vibrio alginolyticus, were isolated from these stranded dolphins. In agreement with other authors, parasites were the most frequently encountered pathogens but, despite noticeable tissue damage, they were not life- threatening organisms. Pneumonia was a very common disease condition also in the cetaceans included in this study.