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Dual parasitic infections deadly to marine mammals – 1
Narrator: This is NIH Health Matters. I’m Joe Balintfy. A study of marine mammals that died the Pacific Northwest has shown an association between severe illness and co-infection with two kinds of parasites. NIH investigator Dr. Michael Grigg says, what’s surprising is that the two parasites are normally found in land mammals.
Grigg: One of them is toxoplasma which is a parasite that's common to cats and the other is sarcocystis which is common to opossums.
Narrator: Dr. Grigg theorizes that the parasites are getting into soil; and then, seasonal rainfall washes them into waterways where they ultimately get eaten by the marine mammals. For details on this study and research on these parasites, visit www.niaid.nih.gov. Health Matters is produced by the National Institutes of Health, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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