Marine+Sea+Otters+being+affected+by+Toxoplasmosis

=**The Effects of Toxoplasmosis on Sea Otters ** = =By Erica Baumsteiger  = == ====   Throughout the last decade thousands of marine mammals have unexpectedly started dying off all over the world. These deaths come in unpredictable waves and can take the lives of dozens to thousands of animals. Until recently scientists have had a lot of difficulty trying to solve this mystery. In 2004 they discovered a series of infectious dieseases and oppertunistic pathogens including Toxoplasmosis, an infectious disease that has been dramatically dropping numbers of sea otters around the west coast of the United States. (Microbiology an Introduction)  
 * Background Information:**

**A Brief History of Discovery:**  "Although //T. gondii// was first observed in rodents by Nicolle and Manceaux in 1908, it was not identified as an agent of infectious disease until 1932. That case occurred in a congenitally infected infant, as did another case of toxoplasma encephalitis reported in 1939 by Wolf et al. //T. gondii// beause recognized as a severe and potentially fatal disease of adults in 1968 after several cases of toxoplasma encephalitis were found in patients with hematologic cancers. It then became more widely recorded as a cause of morbidity in immunodeficient patients, including AIDS patients beginning in 1983. //T. gondii// continues to be an important disease in the modern world, especially in pregnant women and immunocompromised patients." ** - Mandell, Bennett and Dolin ** (Standford University)

 Toxoplasmosis is a protozoan infection caused by the microscopic parasite toxoplasma gondii. This microscopic spore forming protozoa infects the blood stream and the lymphatic vessels.  
 * What is Toxoplasmosis? **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> <span style="font-size: 130%; color: rgb(8, 173, 226); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**<span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; color: rgb(8, 173, 226); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">What populations are being affected? ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(196, 47, 249); font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> The two popultaions that are dramatically being affected by Toxoplasmosis are the California sea otter and the Southern sea otter. (Sea Otter Alliance)

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> **<span style="display: block; font-size: 140%; color: rgb(8, 173, 226); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">How are Sea otters contracting virus? ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(196, 47, 249); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: right;">Although it is difficult to say for certain, just like anything in the scientific world, scientists believe felines (both domestic and wild) are the only known definative host capable of carrying and shedding the oocytes of toxoplasmosis. A cat is infected by ingesting infected pray or other infected meat, the paracite is then consumed down into the digestive tract. Once in the digestive system of the host the paracite is able to travel down to the small intestine where within the walls the parasite can multiply. The oocytes are then released in large numbers out of the host with feces. The oocytes will start being shed three to ten days after the host has been infected and will continue to be released for up to ten to fourteen days. This cycle can release millions of oocytes into the environment and unfortunalty the oocytes of toxoplsamosis are very resistant to harsh environmental conditions meaning they have a high survival rate and are able to survive for over a year in nature. Once out of the definative host scientists speculate that the infected feces is either washed away into the draining systems, fresh water rivers, water run-offs, storm drains or pet owners flush the feces down the toilet which then contaminates sewage water. These water sources, especial fresh water rivers and run-offs, flow into the ocean therefore infecting the water leaving the otters suseptable to contracting the infection. Also mother otters can transfer their infection to a fetus. (Cornell University of Veterinary Medicine) <span style="display: block; font-size: 140%; color: rgb(8, 173, 226); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;"><span style="display: block; color: rgb(8, 173, 226); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; color: rgb(196, 47, 249); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">Of course it is much more difficult to know the symptoms of toxoplasmosis in otters, unfortunatly they are unable to communicate with us but scientists have observed some odd behaviors from infected otters. These syptoms include but are not limted to convulsions/seisures, spontanious abortions, still births, severe brain damage in off-spring, brain inflammation, severe depression, swollen lyphnodes, loss of body movement cotrol and death. (National Oceanic and Atmoshperic Associaltion)
 * <span style="display: block; color: rgb(8, 173, 226); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">What are the symptoms of an infected otter? ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; color: rgb(196, 47, 249); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;">

<span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; color: rgb(196, 47, 249); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; display: block; font-size: 120%; color: rgb(196, 47, 249); text-align: left;">Scientists believe migratory filter fish specifically the Northern anchovy is carrying and spreading the oocytes of Toxoplasmosis to many different area. ( Unraveling The Mystery of the Kitty Litter Parasite in Marine Mammals) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(196, 47, 249);">
 * <span style="display: block; font-size: 140%; color: rgb(8, 173, 226); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">How has Toxoplasmosis spread to affect marine mammals from the Arctic Circle to Australia? **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; display: block; font-size: 140%; color: rgb(8, 173, 226); text-align: center;">**<span style="font-size: 108%; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Statistics about how is Toxoplasmosis affecting populations of sea otters? ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; color: rgb(196, 47, 249); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;">1. Over 42% of live california sea otters are infected 2. Over 62% over dead California sea otters are infected 3. over 17% over all sea otter deaths are attributed to Toxoplasmosis <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(196, 47, 249);">( Unraveling the Mystery of the Kitty Liter Parasite in Marine Mammals <span style="color: rgb(196, 47, 249);">)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> **<span style="display: block; font-size: 140%; color: rgb(8, 173, 226); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">How can we help stop this deadly parasite? ** <span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; color: rgb(196, 47, 249); font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: 133.1%; font-family: Calibri; display: block; color: rgb(196, 47, 249); text-align: left;">Their are two very important things that can be done to prevent more sea otters; Keep cats indoors so they can not affect fresh running water if they are carrying the toxoplasmosis parasite and do not flush cat feces down the toilet, instead throw the feces away in tightly tied biodegradable plastic bag <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 121%; display: block; color: rgb(196, 47, 249); text-align: left;">. <span style="font-size: 121%; display: block; color: rgb(196, 47, 249); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 110%; color: rgb(196, 47, 249); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 140%; color: rgb(8, 173, 226); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;">**Resources** <span style="display: block; font-size: 140%; color: rgb(8, 173, 226); font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; text-align: left; font-size: 110%; font-family: Georgia,serif;">1. "Toxoplasmosis in Cats." __Cornell University of Veterinary Medicine__. 8 Apr. 2008. 29 Apr. 2009<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <[|http://www.vet.cornell.edu]>

2. "Whats Killing California Sea Otters?" __Sea Otter Alliance__. Summer 2009. The Regents of the University of California. 17 Apr. 2009 <http://www.seaotterresearch.org/resources.shtml>.

3. "Paracites in Cats Killing Sea Otters." __National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association__. 21 Jan. 2003. NOAA. 1 May 2009 <http://www.magazine.noaa.gov/stories/mag72.htm>.

4.Nguyen, Christopher. __Toxoplasmosis__. 2007. Standford University. 13 Apr. 2009 <http://www.stanford.edu/class/humbio103/ParaSites2006/Toxoplasmosis/history.html>.

5. Tortora, Gerard J., Berdell R. Funke, and Christine L. Case. __Microbiology an Introduction__. 9th ed. San Fransisco: Pearson Education Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings, 2007. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">6. American Society for Microbiology. "Unravelling The Mystery Of The Kitty Litter Parasite In Marine Mammals." __ScienceDaily__ 5 June 2008. 25 May 2009 <http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/06/080602103404.htm>