ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Environment → Animals

Wild dolphins’ immune systems are failing because of ocean pollution

Things are not looking good.

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
May 8, 2017
in Animals, News, Pollution
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

The first study comparing the health of wild and captive dolphins found that the captives ones are much healthier. Wild dolphins are suffering greatly due to pollution, and are starting to carry diseases which could affect even humans.

Dolphins aren’t doing so well, and this is an alarm signal for all of us. Image credits: NASA.

When it comes to protecting the planet, we focus almost all our efforts on land even though most of it is covered by seas and oceans. The reasoning is pretty simple: we live on land, we don’t really see what’s happening in the water — even though scientists have a pretty good idea about the general in’s and out’s of the oceans, it’s hard to empathize in the same way. To put it bluntly, we don’t really care about the oceans, not as much as we should. For the most part, humanity has treated the oceans like a big sink (for carbon, plastic, and junk in general), and it’s starting to show.

As predators pretty high up the food chain, they tend to accumulate the pollution from all the ranks below them. Things get polluted, fish eat said things, and dolphins eat said fish, sucking all the pollution within. This is a general rule in ecosystems, predators tend to concentrate pollution — which is one of the reasons researchers wanted to study dolphins. Another couple of reasons is that they are mammals and they’re more similar to humans than the average fish, and we’ve been keeping them in captivity for long enough to conduct a relevant comparison.

Patricia Fair, a research professor at the Medical University of South Carolina and lead author of the study, says the immune systems of all wild dolphins they studied were “chronically activated” due to the unhealthy environments they were living in.

“This is likely a result of encountering and fighting off illness caused by pathogens, parasites and anthropogenic pollutants in the ocean that do not exist in closely managed zoological habitats,” she explained. “The key to a healthy immune system is a balance between being able to recognise harmful organisms and over-stimulation and this study demonstrates the importance of the environment in these responses.”

They focused their study on the coasts of Florida and South Carolina. Noticeably, dolphins living nearby the Indian River Lagoon in Florida were found with larger amounts of mercury inside, which is also worrying for humans in the area — who can accumulate mercury in a similar way. But that wasn’t even the worst area; dolphins living in the ocean near Charleston, South Carolina exhibited the worst symptoms.

“In humans, this type of prolonged smouldering inflammation is associated with cancer, auto immune disease, cardiovascular disease, and increased vulnerability to infectious disease,” he said.

Due to the environmental stress, the dolphins are also vulnerable to diseases. Previous studies have shown that a fungal skin disease is running rampant in populations of dolphins with suppressed immune systems, which could be potentially passed on to humans. Having a fungal and microbial flora is absolutely normal in all environments, but generally, the immune system of higher animals should be able to keep them under control — when this doesn’t happen, it’s a sign that they’re in trouble.

Doctor Gregory Bossart, a co-author of the study and chief veterinary officer at Georgia Aquarum, said that the implications of these chronic problems should not be underestimated, and commented on the severity of the response we are seeing.

RelatedPosts

An introduction to man-made climate change
Trash waves in Indonesia look appalling. Surf’s up!
3000 dolphins die, wash up on the coast of Peru as a result of oil companies activitiy
Beijing shuts down its last coal power plant, replaces with natural gas

“In humans, this type of prolonged smouldering inflammation is associated with cancer, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, and increased vulnerability to infectious disease.”

He also warned that dolphins are a sentinel species, serving as a marker for the overall health of the oceans. At the moment, things are not looking good.

“These wild dolphins are trying to tell us something and we are not listening. As a sentinel species, dolphins are an important way to gauge the overall health of our oceans. If wild dolphins aren’t doing well, it could also indicate future impacts to ocean health and even our own health.”

Journal Reference: Patricia A. Fair , Adam M. Schaefer, Dorian S. Houser, Gregory D. Bossart, Tracy A. Romano, Cory D. Champagne, Jeffrey L. Stott, Charles D. Rice, Natasha White, John S. Reif — The environment as a driver of immune and endocrine responses in dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176202

Tags: dolphinpollution

ShareTweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

Health

Climbing gyms are as polluted as busy city streets — and shoes are to blame

byTudor Tarita
2 weeks ago
Environment

This Caddisfly Discovered Microplastics in 1971—and We Just Noticed

byMihai Andrei
1 month ago
Animals

Birds are building nests out of decades-old plastic trash and it’s a record of the Anthropocene

byMihai Andrei
2 months ago
Environment

Golf Courses Use More Land Globally Than Solar or Wind Energy

byMihai Andrei
3 months ago

Recent news

The Worm That Outsourced Locomotion to Its (Many) Butts

May 16, 2025

The unusual world of Roman Collegia — or how to start a company in Ancient Rome

May 16, 2025
Merton College, University of Oxford. Located in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons

For over 500 years, Oxford graduates pledged to hate Henry Symeonis. So, who is he?

May 16, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.