Potential SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Cetaceans Stranded along the Italian Coastline
Due to marine mammals’ demonstrated susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, based upon the homology level of their angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) viral receptor with the human one, alongside the global SARS-CoV-2 occurrence and fecal contamination of the river and marine ecosystems, SARS-CoV-2 infecti...
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/10/1096 |
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| author | Tania Audino Elena Berrone Carla Grattarola Federica Giorda Virginia Mattioda Walter Martelli Antonio Pintore Giuliana Terracciano Cristiano Cocumelli Giuseppe Lucifora Fabio Di Nocera Gabriella Di Francesco Ludovica Di Renzo Silva Rubini Stefano Gavaudan Anna Toffan Roberto Puleio Dashzeveg Bold Francesco Brunelli Maria Goria Antonio Petrella Maria Caramelli Cristiano Corona Sandro Mazzariol Juergen A. Richt Giovanni Di Guardo Cristina Casalone |
| author_facet | Tania Audino Elena Berrone Carla Grattarola Federica Giorda Virginia Mattioda Walter Martelli Antonio Pintore Giuliana Terracciano Cristiano Cocumelli Giuseppe Lucifora Fabio Di Nocera Gabriella Di Francesco Ludovica Di Renzo Silva Rubini Stefano Gavaudan Anna Toffan Roberto Puleio Dashzeveg Bold Francesco Brunelli Maria Goria Antonio Petrella Maria Caramelli Cristiano Corona Sandro Mazzariol Juergen A. Richt Giovanni Di Guardo Cristina Casalone |
| author_sort | Tania Audino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Due to marine mammals’ demonstrated susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, based upon the homology level of their angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) viral receptor with the human one, alongside the global SARS-CoV-2 occurrence and fecal contamination of the river and marine ecosystems, SARS-CoV-2 infection may be plausibly expected to occur also in cetaceans, with special emphasis on inshore species like bottlenose dolphins (<i>Tursiops truncatus</i>). Moreover, based on immune and inflammatory responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans, macrophages could also play an important role in antiviral defense mechanisms. In order to provide a more in-depth insight into SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility in marine mammals, we evaluated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and the expression of ACE2 and the pan-macrophage marker CD68. Aliquots of tissue samples, belonging to cetaceans stranded along the Italian coastline during 2020-2021, were collected for SARS-CoV-2 analysis by real-time PCR (RT-PCRT) (N = 43) and Immunohistochemistry (IHC) (N = 59); thirty-two aliquots of pulmonary tissue sample (N = 17 <i>Tursiops truncatus</i>, N = 15 <i>Stenella coeruleoalba</i>) available at the Mediterranean Marine Mammal Tissue Bank (MMMTB) of the University of Padua (Legnaro, Padua, Italy) were analyzed to investigate ACE2 expression by IHC. In addition, ACE2 and CD68 were also investigated by Double-Labeling Immunofluorescence (IF) Confocal Laser Microscopy. No SARS-CoV-2 positivity was found in samples analyzed for the survey while ACE2 protein was detected in the lower respiratory tract albeit heterogeneously for age, gender/sex, and species, suggesting that ACE2 expression can vary between different lung regions and among individuals. Finally, double IF analysis showed elevated colocalization of ACE2 and CD68 in macrophages only when an evident inflammatory reaction was present, such as in human SARS-CoV-2 infection. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:38:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ec7c112d83564220a0fea3aeb143ad3b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0817 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:38:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj.art-ec7c112d83564220a0fea3aeb143ad3b2023-11-24T01:47:35ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172022-09-011110109610.3390/pathogens11101096Potential SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Cetaceans Stranded along the Italian CoastlineTania Audino0Elena Berrone1Carla Grattarola2Federica Giorda3Virginia Mattioda4Walter Martelli5Antonio Pintore6Giuliana Terracciano7Cristiano Cocumelli8Giuseppe Lucifora9Fabio Di Nocera10Gabriella Di Francesco11Ludovica Di Renzo12Silva Rubini13Stefano Gavaudan14Anna Toffan15Roberto Puleio16Dashzeveg Bold17Francesco Brunelli18Maria Goria19Antonio Petrella20Maria Caramelli21Cristiano Corona22Sandro Mazzariol23Juergen A. Richt24Giovanni Di Guardo25Cristina Casalone26Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, 07100 Sassari, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico del Lazio e della Toscana, 56123 Roma, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico del Lazio e della Toscana, 56123 Roma, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Portici, 80055 Napoli, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, Portici, 80055 Napoli, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise, 64100 Teramo, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise, 64100 Teramo, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia-Romagna, 44124 Ferrara, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, 35020 Legnaro, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della, Sicilia, 90129 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USAIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata, 71121 Foggia, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, ItalyDepartment of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, 35020 Padova, ItalyDepartment of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USAGeneral Pathology and Veterinary Pathophysiology, Veterinary Medical Faculty, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, ItalyIstituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, 10154 Torino, ItalyDue to marine mammals’ demonstrated susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, based upon the homology level of their angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) viral receptor with the human one, alongside the global SARS-CoV-2 occurrence and fecal contamination of the river and marine ecosystems, SARS-CoV-2 infection may be plausibly expected to occur also in cetaceans, with special emphasis on inshore species like bottlenose dolphins (<i>Tursiops truncatus</i>). Moreover, based on immune and inflammatory responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans, macrophages could also play an important role in antiviral defense mechanisms. In order to provide a more in-depth insight into SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility in marine mammals, we evaluated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and the expression of ACE2 and the pan-macrophage marker CD68. Aliquots of tissue samples, belonging to cetaceans stranded along the Italian coastline during 2020-2021, were collected for SARS-CoV-2 analysis by real-time PCR (RT-PCRT) (N = 43) and Immunohistochemistry (IHC) (N = 59); thirty-two aliquots of pulmonary tissue sample (N = 17 <i>Tursiops truncatus</i>, N = 15 <i>Stenella coeruleoalba</i>) available at the Mediterranean Marine Mammal Tissue Bank (MMMTB) of the University of Padua (Legnaro, Padua, Italy) were analyzed to investigate ACE2 expression by IHC. In addition, ACE2 and CD68 were also investigated by Double-Labeling Immunofluorescence (IF) Confocal Laser Microscopy. No SARS-CoV-2 positivity was found in samples analyzed for the survey while ACE2 protein was detected in the lower respiratory tract albeit heterogeneously for age, gender/sex, and species, suggesting that ACE2 expression can vary between different lung regions and among individuals. Finally, double IF analysis showed elevated colocalization of ACE2 and CD68 in macrophages only when an evident inflammatory reaction was present, such as in human SARS-CoV-2 infection.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/10/1096SARS-CoV-2ACE2CD68marine mammals |
| spellingShingle | Tania Audino Elena Berrone Carla Grattarola Federica Giorda Virginia Mattioda Walter Martelli Antonio Pintore Giuliana Terracciano Cristiano Cocumelli Giuseppe Lucifora Fabio Di Nocera Gabriella Di Francesco Ludovica Di Renzo Silva Rubini Stefano Gavaudan Anna Toffan Roberto Puleio Dashzeveg Bold Francesco Brunelli Maria Goria Antonio Petrella Maria Caramelli Cristiano Corona Sandro Mazzariol Juergen A. Richt Giovanni Di Guardo Cristina Casalone Potential SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Cetaceans Stranded along the Italian Coastline Pathogens SARS-CoV-2 ACE2 CD68 marine mammals |
| title | Potential SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Cetaceans Stranded along the Italian Coastline |
| title_full | Potential SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Cetaceans Stranded along the Italian Coastline |
| title_fullStr | Potential SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Cetaceans Stranded along the Italian Coastline |
| title_full_unstemmed | Potential SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Cetaceans Stranded along the Italian Coastline |
| title_short | Potential SARS-CoV-2 Susceptibility of Cetaceans Stranded along the Italian Coastline |
| title_sort | potential sars cov 2 susceptibility of cetaceans stranded along the italian coastline |
| topic | SARS-CoV-2 ACE2 CD68 marine mammals |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/10/1096 |
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