Determination of HBCD, PBDEs and MeO-BDEs in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) stranded between 1993 and 2003

Author Posting. © Elsevier B.V., 2006. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier B.V. for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Pollution Bulletin 52 (2006): 522-531, doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2005.09.045.Blubber samples from male California sea lions (Zalphophus californianus) stranded between 1993 and 2003 were analyzed for 27 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners, three isomers of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and 14 methoxylated polybrominated diphenyl ether (MeO-BDE) congeners. Total PBDEs ranged from 450 ng/g to 4740 ng/g wet mass and total HBCD ranged from <0.3 ng/g to 12 ng/g wet mass. The concentration of HBCD increased from 0.7 ng/g to12.0 ng/g wet mass in sea lion blubber between 1993 and 2003. However, no significant temporal trend was observed for any of the other brominated compounds over this ten year period. Only one of the 14 MeO-BDE congeners was detected in the blubber samples, 6-methoxy- 2,2’,4,4’-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (6-MeO-BDE 47), and concentrations ranged from <0.2 ng/g to 12 ng/g wet mass. A bromo-, chloro- heterocyclic compound, 1,1’-dimethyl-tetrabromo-dichloro-2,2’-bipyrrole (DBP-Br4Cl2), previously reported in marine species along the Pacific coast, was also identified in the sea lion blubber. DBP-Br4Cl2 ranged from 44 ng/g wet mass to 660 ng/g wet mass and was present at concentrations rivaling the dominant PBDE congener, BDE 47 (2,2’,4,4’-tetrabromodiphenyl ether). Concentrations of DBP-Br4Cl2 were positively correlated with 6-MeO-BDE 47 (r= 0.7; p<0.05). Both of these compounds have been identified in marine algae and sponges, and studies suggest they are both produced from natural sources. This study demonstrates that brominated compounds from both anthropogenic and biogenic sources can accumulate to similar levels in marine mammals. In addition, HBCD concentrations appear to be increasing in California sea lion populations, whereas PBDE concentrations, between 1993 and 2003, were highly variable

Skin Lesions on Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Three Sites in the Northwest Atlantic, USA

Skin disease occurs frequently in many cetacean species across the globe; methods to categorize lesions have relied on photo-identification (photo-id), stranding, and by-catch data. The current study used photo-id data from four sampling months during 2009 to estimate skin lesion prevalence and type occurring on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from three sites along the southeast United States coast [Sarasota Bay, FL (SSB); near Brunswick and Sapelo Island, GA (BSG); and near Charleston, SC (CHS)]. The prevalence of lesions was highest among BSG dolphins (P = 0.587) and lowest in SSB (P = 0.380), and the overall prevalence was significantly different among all sites (p<0.0167). Logistic regression modeling revealed a significant reduction in the odds of lesion occurrence for increasing water temperatures (OR = 0.92; 95%CI:0.906–0.938) and a significantly increased odds of lesion occurrence for BSG dolphins (OR = 1.39; 95%CI:1.203–1.614). Approximately one-third of the lesioned dolphins from each site presented with multiple types, and population differences in lesion type occurrence were observed (p<0.05). Lesions on stranded dolphins were sampled to determine the etiology of different lesion types, which included three visually distinct samples positive for herpesvirus. Although generally considered non-fatal, skin disease may be indicative of animal health or exposure to anthropogenic or environmental threats, and photo-id data provide an efficient and cost-effective approach to document the occurrence of skin lesions in free-ranging populations

Predicting the effects of polychlorinated biphenyls on cetacean populations through impacts on immunity and calf survival

This work was supported by funding from the International Whaling Commission's Pollution 2000+Program, the U.S. NOAA/NFMS Health and Stranding Response Program and the UK's Natural Environment Research Council (Grant Code SMRU 10001).The potential impact of exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on the health and survival of cetaceans continues to be an issue for conservation and management, yet few quantitative approaches for estimating population level effects have been developed. An individual based model (IBM) for assessing effects on both calf survival and immunity was developed and tested. Three case study species (bottlenose dolphin, humpback whale and killer whale) in four populations were taken as examples and the impact of varying levels of PCB uptake on achievable population growth was assessed. The unique aspect of the model is its ability to evaluate likely effects of immunosuppression in addition to calf survival, enabling consequences of PCB exposure on immune function on all age-classes to be explored. By incorporating quantitative tissue concentration-response functions from laboratory animal model species into an IBM framework, population trajectories were generated. Model outputs included estimated concentrations of PCBs in the blubber of females by age, which were then compared to published empirical data. Achievable population growth rates were more affected by the inclusion of effects of PCBs on immunity than on calf survival, but the magnitude depended on the virulence of any subsequent encounter with a pathogen and the proportion of the population exposed. Since the starting population parameters were from historic studies, which may already be impacted by PCBs, the results should be interpreted on a relative rather than an absolute basis. The framework will assist in providing quantitative risk assessments for populations of concern.PostprintPostprintPeer reviewe

Towards the characterization of the hidden world of small proteins in Staphylococcus aureus, a proteogenomics approach

Small proteins play essential roles in bacterial physiology and virulence, however, automated algorithms for genome annotation are often not yet able to accurately predict the corresponding genes. The accuracy and reliability of genome annotations, particularly for small open reading frames (sORFs), can be significantly improved by integrating protein evidence from experimental approaches. Here we present a highly optimized and flexible bioinformatics workflow for bacterial proteogenomics covering all steps from (i) generation of protein databases, (ii) database searches and (iii) peptide-to-genome mapping to (iv) visualization of results. We used the workflow to identify high quality peptide spectrum matches (PSMs) for small proteins (≤ 100 aa, SP100) in Staphylococcus aureus Newman. Protein extracts from S. aureus were subjected to different experimental workflows for protein digestion and prefractionation and measured with highly sensitive mass spectrometers. In total, 175 proteins with up to 100 aa (SP100) were identified. Out of these 24 (ranging from 9 to 99 aa) were novel and not contained in the used genome annotation.144 SP100 are highly conserved and were found in at least 50% of the publicly available S. aureus genomes, while 127 are additionally conserved in other staphylococci. Almost half of the identified SP100 were basic, suggesting a role in binding to more acidic molecules such as nucleic acids or phospholipids.Peer Reviewe

Machine learning approaches to investigate the impact of PCBs on the transcriptome of the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

As top-level predators, common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are particularly sensitive to chemical and biological contaminants that accumulate and biomagnify in the marine food chain. This work investigates the potential use of microarray technology and gene expression profile analysis to screen common bottlenose dolphins for exposure to environmental contaminants through the immunological and/or endocrine perturbations associated with these agents. A dolphin microarray representing 24,418 unigene sequences was used to analyze blood samples collected from 47 dolphins during capture-release health assessments from five different US coastal locations (Beaufort, NC, Sarasota Bay, FL, Saint Joseph Bay, FL, Sapelo Island, GA and Brunswick, GA). Organohalogen contaminants including pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyl congeners (PCBs) and polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners were determined in blubber biopsy samples from the same animals. A subset of samples (n 1⁄4 10, males; n 1⁄4 8, females) with the highest and the lowest measured values of PCBs in their blubber was used as strata to determine the differential gene expression of the exposure extremes through machine learning classification algorithms. A set of genes associated primarily with nuclear and DNA stability, cell division and apoptosis regulation, intra- and extra-cellular traffic, and immune response activation was selected by the algorithm for identifying the two exposure extremes. In order to test the hypothesis that these gene expression patterns reflect PCB exposure, we next investigated the blood transcriptomes of the remaining dolphin samples using machine-learning approaches, including K-nn and Support Vector Machines classifiers. Using the derived gene sets, the algorithms worked very well (100% success rate) at classifying dolphins according to the contaminant load accumulated in their blubber. These results suggest that gene expression profile analysis may provide a valuable means to screen for indicators of chemical exposure

In situ-Bodenreaktor. Erstmaliger Einsatz der In situ-Bodenreaktor-Technologie zur mikrobiologischen Dekontamination mittels Horizontalfiltertechnik am Beispiel Hoyerswerda. T. B: Biologische Dekontamination mittels Horizontalfiltertechnik - biotechnisch-mikrobiologische und analytische Arbeiten Abschlussbericht

An innovative microbiological in situ decontamination technology using horizontal filters was developed and tested on the terrain of a fuelling station at Hoyerswerda. The method was to be applicable on built-on terrain and was to be less costly than conventional methods. The pollutant is located between horizontal filters which are introduced into the soil by horizontal drilling. The horizontal filters provide oxygen and nutrients for the microbes. In the exemplary application, the pollutants were located in the unsaturated soil zone. The soil had been polluted by a fuelling incident in the early eighties and by latent pollution with diesel fuel (about 10 t of diesel fuel in all).Gegenstand des Vorhabens ist die Entwicklung einer neuen innovativen mikrobiologischen in situ-Sanierungstechnologie unter Anwendung der Horizontalfiltertechnik und deren praktische Ersterprobung auf dem Gelaende einer Tankstelle eines Verkehrsbetriebes in Hoyerswerda. Die in situ-Sanierungstechnologie wurde unter den Praemissen entwickelt, eine on line-Sanierung vorzugsweise unter ueberbautem Gelaende durchzufuehren mit Kostenvorteilen auch im Vergleich mit Verfahren mit 'Auskofferung' sowie eine effiziente und umweltschonende Sanierung zu gewaehrleisten. Der mikrobiologisch zu behandelnde Schadstoff befindet sich zwischen den mittels steuerbarer Horizontalbohrtechnik in den Untergrund eingebrachten und in sogenannten Filterebenen angeordneten Horizontalfiltern. Die Filter dienen zur Sauerstoff-und Naehrstoffversorgung der Mikroben. Der modellhaft bearbeitete Sanierungsfall befindet sich in der ungesaettigten Bodenzone. Beim Standort handelt es sich um einen infolge Betankungsfehler Anfang der 80er Jahre sowie durch latente Eintraege von Dieselkraftstoff entstandenen Schadensfall, der nach Begutachtung durch ein Ingenieurbuero und Bewertung nach der Saechsischen Altlastenmethodik als Altlast mit Sanierungserfordernis eingestuft wurde. Die abgeschaetzte Dieselmenge betraegt ca. 10 t. (orig.)Available from TIB Hannover: F01B745 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDeutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, Osnabrueck (Germany)DEGerman