Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis in a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) in the coasts of Sicily (Italy)

The first-ever case of animal tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium bovis is described in a striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) found stranded on the coasts of Sicily, Southern Italy, in 2012. The carcass showed a typical TB granulomatous lesion in the intestine; microbiological culture on solid medium (Stonebrink) allowed to isolate colonies with the characteristic aspect of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex (MTC) members. M. bovis was identified by molecular and microbiological tests. Genotyping of the dolphin strain by spoligotyping and Multilocus Variable Number of Tandem Repeat Analysis (MLVA) showed that it was similar to isolates found in cattle herds in Sicily over the period 2008–2012, suggesting an epidemiological correlation with the dolphin case. In particular, we can hypothesise possible contamination by cattle faeces of marine environments due to seasonal rain streams and to the practice to graze animals (cattle, sheep and goats) in seaside areas.