Abstract:

Previous studies with common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Barataria Bay, Louisiana have demonstrated that exposure to petroleum products following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused adrenal gland and lung disease, which contributed to increased mortality and decreased reproductive success during the immediate years following the oil spill. As such, there is a need to continue to monitor the reproductive health of dolphins in Barataria Bay to determine changes in reproductive success over time. This database contains health assessment and histologic data from live and dead dolphins in Barataria Bay and surrounding coastal waters using methods previously described. For the data on live dolphins, adult females, particularly those known to be reproductively mature based on previous sightings with a calf, were the focus of these health assessments. Relevant data for each live wild dolphin sampled include sampling location (latitude and longitude), date, time, sex, morphometrics, and diagnostic test results including the following: (1) blood gas and end-tidal CO2 variables, (2) hematology and serum chemistry values, (3) hormone analyses, (4) immune function profiles, (5) lung ultrasound scores, and (6) ultrasound-based reproductive biophysical scores. Histologic data from dead, stranded dolphins in Barataria Bay and surrounding coastal waters include characterization of adrenal and lung lesions in fresh dead, non-perinates (as well as key lesions and cause of death), and characterization of lung lesions in stranded perinatal (nearbirth) dolphins.

Suggested Citation:

Cynthia Smith, Stephanie Venn-Watson, Lori Schwacke, Teri Rowles. 2017. 2016 common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) data to evaluate reproductive health among wild dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7H41PTV

Publications:

Smith, C. R., Rowles, T. K., Gomez, F. M., Ivančić, M., Colegrove, K. M., Takeshita, R., Townsend, F. I., Zolman, E. S., Morey, J. S., Cendejas, V., Meegan, J. M., Musser, W., Speakman, T. R., Barratclough, A., Wells, R. S., & Schwacke, L. H. (2022). Poor pulmonary health in Barataria Bay dolphins in the eight years following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Frontiers in Marine Science, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.975006

Purpose:

In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) catastrophe, impacts to bottlenose dolphins in heavily oiled coastal areas of the northern Gulf of Mexico were well documented. Necropsies of the recovered carcasses and studies of live dolphins within the DWH oil spill footprint confirmed lung injury and adrenal gland lesions consistent with known effects of oil or petroleum-associated compounds. In addition, a high incidence of reproductive failure was concluded from a lack of calves being observed during monitoring surveys of pregnant dolphins. Although the exact mechanism of reproductive failure has not been determined to date, proposed factors include compromised maternal health (specifically, pulmonary disease), direct oil-related toxic effects to the reproductive system, complications related to adrenal system dysfunction, and immune system perturbations leading to an increased susceptibility to reproductive pathogens. The underlying factors for the observed reproductive impairment are a critical but lingering research question. Addressing this question is essential to understand the process for bottlenose dolphin recovery specific to the DWH oil spill, and also to assess population risk and predict recovery trajectories for future spill events involving dolphins or other less well-studied cetaceans.

Data Parameters and Units:

Individual Sampling Info: Project name, Date (DD-MMM-YY), Field ID, Net out (time net was placed in the water), Hit net restrained (time dolphin was restrained in the net), Latitude (decimal degrees), Longitude (decimal degrees), Sex, Age (yr), Pregnant, Length (cm), Weight (kg) Cornell Blood: Project name, Date (DD-MMM-YY), Field ID, Net out (time net was placed in the water), Hem sample type, Hematocrit (%), Hemoglobin (g/dL), Red blood cell (RBC, mill/uL), Mean corpuscular volume (MCV, fL), Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH, pg), Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC, g/dL), Red cell distribution width (RDW, %), Reticulocyte count (%), Absolute retic count (thou/uL), Nucleated RBCs (/100 WBC), White blood cell (WBC, thou/uL), Segmented neutrophil(s) (thou/uL), Band neutrophil(s) (thou/uL), Lymphocyte(s) (thou/uL), Monocyte(s) (thou/uL), Eosinophil(s) (thou/uL), Basophil(s) (thou/uL), Platelet count (thou/uL), Mean platelet volume (MPV, fL), Platelet smear estimation, Total protein ref (g/dL), Plasma appearance, WBC Exam, RBC Morphology, Parasite(s), Packed cell volume (%), Chem sample type, Sodium (mEq/L), Potassium (mEq/L), Chloride (mEq/L), Bicarbonate (mEq/L), Anion gap (mEq/L), Sodium potassium ratio, Urea (mg/dL), Creatinine (mg/dL), Calcium (mg/dL), Phosphate (mg/dL), Magnesium (mEq/L), Albumin (g/dL), Globulin (g/dL), A/G ratio, Glucose (mg/dL), Aminotransferase (ALT, U/L), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST, U/L), Alkaline phosphatase (U/L), Gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT, U/L), Total bilirubin (mg/dL), Direct bilirubin (mg/dL), Indirect bilirubin (mg/dL), Amylase (U/L), Cholesterol (mg/dL), Creatine kinase (U/L), Iron (ug/dL), Iron binding capacity (ug/dL), Saturation (%), Lipemia, Hemolysis, Icterus, Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, U/L), Sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH, U/L), Total protein (g/dL), Triglycerides (mg/dL), Uric acid (mg/dL), Imm sample type, Albumin2 (g/dL0, Alpha1 globulin (g/dL), Alpha2 globulin (g/dL), Total alpha globulin (g/dL), Beta2 globulin (g/dL), Total beta globulin (g/dL), Gamma globulin (g/dL), Immune A/G ratio, End sample type, Cortisol (ug/dL), FreeT4 (ng/dL), TotalT3 (ng/dL), TotalT4 (ug/dL), Progesterone (ng/mL), BC sample type, Aerobic blood culture, Anaerobic blood culture, Fib sample type, Fibrinogen (mg/dL) Cornell Urinalysis: Project name, Date (DD-MMM-YY), Field ID, Net out (time net was placed in the water), Volume (mL), Color, Turbidity, Specific gravity, pH, Protein, Glucose, Ketones, Bilirubin, Heme, WBC, RBC, Bacteria, Epithelial cells, Sperm, Fat drops, Debris, Casts, Crystals HML Brucella: Project name, Date (DD-MMM-YY), Field ID, Net out (time net was placed in the water), Sample type, Brucella PCR NYU Relaxin: Project name, Date (DD-MMM-YY), Field ID, Net out (time net was placed in the water), Sample type, Relaxin (ng/mL) NMMF Pulmonary: Project name, Date (DD-MMM-YY), Field ID, Net out (time net was placed in the water), ID, Sex, Year (MM/DD/YYYY), Location, Lung score, Pleural effusion, Effusion description, Adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), AIS description, Pulm. nodule, #, Pulm. mass, Description, Pulm. consol., Consol. description, ABN #, Comments NMMF Blood gas, ETCO2 - Pre: Project name, Date (DD-MMM-YY), Field ID, Net out (time net was placed in the water), Patient ID, Capno/Pulse/Ox/i-STAT Date (MM/DD/YYYY), Mean pre-ETCO2 (mmHg), Blood draw time (HH:MM), pH, PaCO2 (mmHg), PaO2 (mmHg), Beecf (mmol/L), HCO3 (mmol/L), TCO2 (mmol/L), s)2 (%), Lact (mmol/L), Na (mmol/L), K (mmol/L), Cl (mmol/L), iCa (mmol/L), TCO2 (mmol/L), Glu (mg/dL), BUN/Urea (mg/dL), Crea (mg/dL), Hematocrit (HCT, %), Hemoglobin (HGB, g/dL), AnGap (mmol/L) NMMF Blood gas, ETCO2 - Post: Project name, Date (DD-MMM-YY), Field ID, Net out (time net was placed in the water), Patient ID, Capno/Pulse/Ox/i-STAT Date (MM/DD/YYYY), Mean post-ETCO2 (mmHg), Blood draw time (HH:MM), pH, PaCO2 (mmHg), PaO2 (mmHg), Beecf (mmol/L), HCO3 (mmol/L), TCO2 (mmol/L), s)2 (%), Lact (mmol/L), Na (mmol/L), K (mmol/L), Cl (mmol/L), iCa (mmol/L), TCO2 (mmol/L), Glu (mg/dL), BUN/Urea (mg/dL), Crea (mg/dL), Hematocrit (HCT, %), Hemoglobin (HGB, g/dL), AnGap (mmol/L) UConn Immune Function: Project name, Date (DD-MMM-YY), Field ID, Net out (time net was placed in the water), Lymphocyte proliferation = LP (NM, 0.1 ConA, 1 ConA, 0.1 PHA, 1 PHA, 0.05 LPS, 5 LPS), Phagocytosis = Ph (Neutrophil 1+, Neutrophils 2+, Neutrophils 3+, Monocytes 1+, Monocytes 2+, Monocytes 3+), Respiratory burst (Neutrophils, Monocytes), Cytokines = Cyt (Po IL-1b, Po IL-4, Po IL-8, Hu IL-2, Hu IL-5, Hu IL-10, Hu IL-12, Hu IL-13, Hu GM-CSF, Hu IFNg, Hu TNFa) ND: no data, data points were eliminated through the quality control process, since the accompanying mouse data were outside the acceptable range NS: no samples were collected, weekend captures

Individual Files: