Dead shark had meningitis in "world's first" case

[Isopod]

TL;DR

A rare Greenland shark found washed up on a Cornish beach died of meningitis, a post mortem has found.

Scientists who examined the body said the discovery was "likely a world's first".

A rare Greenland shark found washed up on a Cornish beach died of meningitis, a post mortem has found.
Scientists who examined the body said the discovery was "likely a world's first".
The female found just outside Newlyn Harbour in Cornwall in March is thought to be 100 years old by marine biologists.
But it is still considered a "juvenile" because Greenland sharks can live to more than 400 years old.
Scientists said there was not enough evidence to link the disease to man-made stressors, such as pollution.
Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-61035887

If this is a new thing for the Greenland sharks, then that could spell very bad news for them, given that they're such a slow growing species.

 

[pinball1970]

Summary:: A rare Greenland shark found washed up on a Cornish beach died of meningitis, a post mortem has found.

Scientists who examined the body said the discovery was "likely a world's first".

View attachment 299601

A rare Greenland shark found washed up on a Cornish beach died of meningitis, a post mortem has found.
Scientists who examined the body said the discovery was "likely a world's first".
The female found just outside Newlyn Harbour in Cornwall in March is thought to be 100 years old by marine biologists.
But it is still considered a "juvenile" because Greenland sharks can live to more than 400 years old.
Scientists said there was not enough evidence to link the disease to man-made stressors, such as pollution.
Full story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-61035887

If this is a new thing for the Greenland sharks, then that could spell very bad news for them, given that they're such a slow growing species.

Very interesting!

This article expands a little, they are conducting other studies on the animal to look at plastics toxicology diet etc.

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...nded-cornwall-meningitis-death-postmortem-aoe
A quick google of the possible culprit- the article did not give the species.

“Pasteurella multocida is the cause of a range of diseases in mammals and birds, including fowl cholera in poultry, atrophic rhinitis in pigs

and hemorrhagic septicemia in wild and domestic ruminants including cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, deer and antelope.”

 

[Isopod]

Very interesting!

This article expands a little, they are conducting other studies on the animal to look at plastics toxicology diet etc.

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...nded-cornwall-meningitis-death-postmortem-aoe
A quick google of the possible culprit- the article did not give the species.

“Pasteurella multocida is the cause of a range of diseases in mammals and birds, including fowl cholera in poultry, atrophic rhinitis in pigs

and hemorrhagic septicemia in wild and domestic ruminants including cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, deer and antelope.”

Thank you for that article, made for very interesting reading!