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Title: Immunosuppression in harbour seals fed fish from the contaminated Baltic Sea

Abstract

Environmental contaminants including dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls have been shown to be immunotoxic in laboratory animals, but little information exists as to their possible effect on mammals in the natural environment. Recent virus-induced mass mortalities among marine mammals occupying high trophic levels have led to much speculation regarding a possible contributory role of pollutants in these events. The authors undertook a two-year captive feeding experiment with harbor seals, Phoca vitulina, where one group was fed herring from the contaminated Baltic Sea and a second group was fed relatively uncontaminated herring from the Atlantic Ocean. During the course of the experiment, they regularly sampled blood and undertook a series of immune function tests. They observed a significant impairment of natural killer cell activity and T-lymphocyte function, in vitro, in the group of seals fed the Baltic Sea fish. In addition, seals of this group were less able to mount a specific humoral and delayed type hypersensitivity response to a protein antigen, ovalbumin, upon immunization. Increased numbers of granulocytes in this group may have reflected periodic bacterial infections as a consequence of impaired immune function. Their results suggest that pollutants accumulated through the food chain in contaminated marine waters may suppress normalmore » immune responses in marine mammals and lead to an increased susceptibility to opportunistic infection.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1]; ; ;  [2];  [1];  [3];  [4]
  1. Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre, Pieterburen (Netherlands)
  2. National Inst. of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven (Netherlands)
  3. DLO Inst. for Forestry and Nature Research, Den Burg (Netherlands)
  4. Erasmus Univ., Rotterdam, NL (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
85968
Report Number(s):
CONF-9410273-
TRN: IM9534%%39
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: 15. annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), Denver, CO (United States), 30 Oct - 3 Nov 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15th annual meeting: Abstract book. Ecological risk: Science, policy, law, and perception; PB: 286 p.
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE, APPLIED STUDIES; BALTIC SEA; WATER POLLUTION; PINNIPEDS; SENSITIVITY; FOOD CHAINS; RETICULOENDOTHELIAL SYSTEM; PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES; IMMUNE REACTIONS

Citation Formats

Ross, P S, National Inst. of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven, Swart, R.L. de, Erasmus Univ., Rotterdam, Timmerman, H H, Loveren, H van, Vos, J G, Vedder, L J, Reijnders, P J.H., and Osterhaus, A D.M.E. Immunosuppression in harbour seals fed fish from the contaminated Baltic Sea. United States: N. p., 1994. Web.
Ross, P S, National Inst. of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven, Swart, R.L. de, Erasmus Univ., Rotterdam, Timmerman, H H, Loveren, H van, Vos, J G, Vedder, L J, Reijnders, P J.H., & Osterhaus, A D.M.E. Immunosuppression in harbour seals fed fish from the contaminated Baltic Sea. United States.
Ross, P S, National Inst. of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven, Swart, R.L. de, Erasmus Univ., Rotterdam, Timmerman, H H, Loveren, H van, Vos, J G, Vedder, L J, Reijnders, P J.H., and Osterhaus, A D.M.E. 1994. "Immunosuppression in harbour seals fed fish from the contaminated Baltic Sea". United States.
@article{osti_85968,
title = {Immunosuppression in harbour seals fed fish from the contaminated Baltic Sea},
author = {Ross, P S and National Inst. of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven and Swart, R.L. de and Erasmus Univ., Rotterdam and Timmerman, H H and Loveren, H van and Vos, J G and Vedder, L J and Reijnders, P J.H. and Osterhaus, A D.M.E.},
abstractNote = {Environmental contaminants including dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls have been shown to be immunotoxic in laboratory animals, but little information exists as to their possible effect on mammals in the natural environment. Recent virus-induced mass mortalities among marine mammals occupying high trophic levels have led to much speculation regarding a possible contributory role of pollutants in these events. The authors undertook a two-year captive feeding experiment with harbor seals, Phoca vitulina, where one group was fed herring from the contaminated Baltic Sea and a second group was fed relatively uncontaminated herring from the Atlantic Ocean. During the course of the experiment, they regularly sampled blood and undertook a series of immune function tests. They observed a significant impairment of natural killer cell activity and T-lymphocyte function, in vitro, in the group of seals fed the Baltic Sea fish. In addition, seals of this group were less able to mount a specific humoral and delayed type hypersensitivity response to a protein antigen, ovalbumin, upon immunization. Increased numbers of granulocytes in this group may have reflected periodic bacterial infections as a consequence of impaired immune function. Their results suggest that pollutants accumulated through the food chain in contaminated marine waters may suppress normal immune responses in marine mammals and lead to an increased susceptibility to opportunistic infection.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/85968}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1994},
month = {Sat Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1994}
}

Conference:
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