Dolphins and sea turtles may host zoonotic parasites and pathogenic bacteria as indicators of anthropic pressure in the Gulf of Taranto (Northern Ionian Sea, Central-Eastern Mediterranean Sea)

The occurrence of protozoan parasites Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. such as the pathogenic bacteria Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli was molecularly investigated in the following free ranging species of striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) as well as loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles living in the Gulf of Taranto (Mediterranean Sea). Out of forty-one investigated individuals belonging to the 4 species, 13 (31.7%) were positive to one or more pathogens and zoonotic G. duodenalis assemblage A, Cryptosporidium parvum and S. enterica were identified in striped dolphins, loggerhead and green sea turtles. In this work, the presence of these opportunistic pathogens has been investigated in fecal samples of free ranging dolphin and sea turtle species for the first time. Moreover, this is the first record of C. parvum in loggerhead sea turtles. These results may provide baseline data for the potential role of cetaceans and sea turtles as potential sentinel species for zoonotic and terrestrial pathogens in the marine environment.