Marine Mammal Health and Disease

A practical and authoritative reference for veterinary practitioners and technicians working with marine mammals in managed care or in free-ranging populations

In Marine Mammal Health and Disease, distinguished veterinarian researcher Dr. Julia Zaias delivers an up-to-date and practical discussion of how to assess health and disease in marine mammals. The author offers a foundational, high-level understanding of normal/baseline conditions, how this baselines is altered by infectious agents, environment, or the host itself, and how to diagnose these changes and diseases.

The book’s chapters are logically organized by health assessment and management, environmental influences on health, the basis of marine mammal health, disease, and animal welfare. It covers cetaceans, sirenia, pinnipeds, and other marine carnivores, as well as the pathology of cells and tissues, the mechanisms of disease, inflammation, and etiologic disease factors.

Readers will also find:

A thorough introduction to the basis of health and disease in marine animals
Comprehensive explorations of health assessment and management, including clinical pathology and general preventative medicine and diagnostics
Practical discussions of both marine mammals in managed care environments and free-ranging animals
Complete treatments of environmental influences on health and disease in marine animals
Perfect for students in veterinary and veterinary tech programs, conservation biology and medicine students, and marine mammal conservationists, managers, and trainers, Marine Mammal Health and Disease will also benefit researchers, wildlife and zoological veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and aquarium specialists and facility staff.

About the Author
Julia Zaias, PhD, DVM, is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Comparative Pathology Division of the Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida. She has over twenty years’ experience researching and working in the areas of stranded cetacean response, rehabilitation, necropsy, and histopathology.

Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Preface
Acknowledgment
About the Companion Website
Section 1: Basis of Health and Disease
Chapter 1: Cells and Tissues in Health and Disease
Reversible Cell Adaptations
Nonreversible Cell Injury and Cell Death
Reference
Chapter 2: Inflammation and the Immune Response
Reference
Chapter 3: Anatomy and Physiology
Body Orientation
Skeletal System
Skin and Integument
Hair and Fur
Cetacean Hypodermis
Cardiovascular System
Respiratory System
GI System
Liver
Urinary System
Reproductive Systems
Lymphoid Organs and Other Glands
Central Nervous System
Physiologic and Anatomic Adaptations
References
Chapter 4: Etiologic Agents of Infectious Disease
Viruses
Bacteria
Fungi
Protozoa
Parasites
Diagnosing Infectious Agents
How Pathogens Invade the Body
References
Section 2: Health Assessment and Management
Chapter 5: Clinical Pathology and Diagnostics
Blood
Hematology
Chemistries
Serology
Proteins
Urinalysis
Fecal Samples
Cytology
Other Sampling Opportunities/Matrices
References
Chapter 6: Medical Care and Health Assessment of Marine Mammals
Animals in Managed Care
Preventative Health Care
Basic Treatment Modalities
Rehabilitation Medicine
General Signs of Illness
Common Conditions
Remaining Systems and Geriatric Care
Free-ranging Animal Health Assessments
References
Chapter 7: Reproductive Health and Management
Group-specific Information
Cetaceans and Sirenia
Marine Mammal Carnivores
Monitoring and Management of Reproduction
Prevention of Pregnancy
Female Health During Pregnancy
Neonatal Care
Application to Conservation
References
Section 3: Environmental Influences on Health/Disease
Chapter 8: Health, Harmful Algal Blooms, and Environmental Contaminants
Harmful Algal Blooms
Organic Contaminants
Heavy Metals
Microplastics
References
Chapter 9: Stress and Health
What Is Stress?
Stress and Health
Assessing and/or Quantifying Stress
Free-ranging Populations
References
Chapter 10: Marine Mammal Health, Welfare, and the Future
Does Increased Stress Equal Decreased Welfare?
References
Index
End User License Agreement