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Dual parasitic infections deadly to marine mammals – 2
Narrator: This is NIH Health Matters. I’m Joe Balintfy. An NIH study has found that co-infection with two parasites normally found in land animals is deadly to seals, sea otters and porpoises.
Grigg: Essentially all marine mammals were showing up.
Narrator: Dr. Michael Grigg, an investigator at NIH notes that the parasites are tough, essentially like eggs.
Grigg: And inside these eggs are the infectious forms of the parasite. They can actually persist for up to five years; all they need is moist conditions. And you can actually input them into chlorine bleach 100% and it doesn’t kill them.
Narrator: The study found the parasites likely travel through waterways and were most deadly when combined. For details on this study and 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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