University of British Columbia scientists have found for the first time an infectious form of the cat
parasite1 Toxoplasma gondii in western Arctic Beluga, prompting a health
advisory2 to the Inuit people who eat whale meat. The same team also discovered a new strain of the parasite,
previously3 sequestered4(隐退) in the icy north, that is responsible for
killing5 406 grey seals in the north Atlantic in 2012.
Presenting their findings today at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the
Advancement6 of Science (AAAS), Michael Grigg and Stephen Raverty from UBC's
Marine7 Mammal Research Unit say that the "big
thaw8" occurring in the Arctic is allowing never-before-seen movement of
pathogens(病原体) between the Arctic and the lower
latitudes9.
"Ice is a major eco-barrier for pathogens," says Michael Grigg, a
molecular10 parasitologist with the U.S. National Institutes of Health and an adjunct professor at UBC. "What we're seeing with the big thaw is the liberation of pathogens gaining access to vulnerable new hosts and
wreaking11 havoc12(肆虐)."
Toxoplasmosis, also known as kitty litter disease, is the leading cause of infectious blindness in humans and can be fatal to
fetuses13 and to people and animals with compromised immune systems.
"Belugas are not only an integral part of Inuit culture and
folklore14, but also a major
staple15 of the traditional diet. Hunters and community members are very concerned about food safety and security," says Raverty, a veterinary pathologist with the B.C.
Ministry16 of Agriculture and Lands' Animal Health Centre and an adjunct professor at UBC. Raverty has led the
systematic17 sampling and screening of hunter-harvested Beluga for 14 years.
Grigg has also identified the culprit of the 2012 grey seal die-off as a new strain of Sarcocystis. While not harmful to humans, the Arctic parasite, which was named Sarcocystis pinnipedi at the AAAS meeting today, has now killed an endangered Steller sea lion, seals, Hawaiian
monk18 seals,
walruses19(海象), polar and
grizzly20 bears in Alaska and as far south as British Columbia.