http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/57438/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/39102/ 2012-05-04T00:00:00Z Staphylococcus aureus is present in the marine environment and causes disease in marine mammals. To determine whether marine mammals are colonized by host-specific strains or by strains originating from other species, we performed multi-locus sequence typing on ten S. aureus strains isolated from marine mammals in the U.K., the Netherlands, and the Antarctic. Four new sequence types of S. aureus were discovered. S. aureus strains from a southern elephant seal (n=1) and harbour porpoises (n=2) did not cluster with known S. aureus strains, suggesting that they may be host species-specific. In contrast, S. aureus strains from harbour seals (n=3), other harbour porpoises (n=3), and a grey seal (n=1) clustered with S. aureus strains previously isolated from domestic ruminants, humans, or birds, suggesting that these S. aureus strains in marine mammals were introduced from terrestrial species. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/36154/ 2007-01-01T00:00:00Z Stillbirth and neonatal mortality are substantial problems in captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The cause of these problems often is unknown. We report a case of Escherichia coli septicemia in a male 3-day-old bottlenose dolphin calf. Lesions included omphalitis, synovitis, and hepatic necrosis associated with the presence of Gram-negative bacilli. E. coli was isolated in pure culture from multiple organs. A serum gammaglobulin level of 1.5 g/L indicated a lack of maternally acquired immunity. The observed failure to nurse may have resulted from brain injury due to perinatal asphyxia. Evidence for perinatal asphyxia was the diffuse presence of a moderate amount of meconium in the lungs.