Brucella sp. sequence-type 27 associated with abortion in dwarf sperm whale Kogia sima

A dwarf sperm whale Kogia sima stranded alive along the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. The whale, handled by tourists and local inhabitants, was weak, had buoyancy difficulties, and eventually aborted and died, showing severe necrotizing placentitis and other pathological signs. Both the mother and the fetus had antibodies against Brucella lipopolysaccharide. Brucella organisms were isolated from various tissues of both animals and were characterized. The bacterium genome corresponded to sequence-type 27 (ST27) and clustered together with other Brucella ST27 isolated in humans and cetaceans.

Automated summary

A dwarf sperm whale stranded alive along the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica showed severe necrotizing placentitis and was found to have antibodies against Brucella lipopolysaccharide. Brucella organisms were isolated from various tissues of both the mother and the fetus, with the bacterium corresponding to sequence-type 27 (ST27) and clustering with other ST27 isolated in humans and cetaceans.