Systemic Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae Infection with Rhomboid Skin Lesions in a Free-Ranging Short-Beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) Stranded in Jeju, Republic of Korea: Post-Mortem Computed Tomography, Pathology and Multi-Tissue Molecular Detection.
8 affiliations
- 1College of Veterinary Medicine and Institute of Veterinary Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Republic of Korea.
- 2Department of Microbiology and Immunology, and Institute of Endemic Disease, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea.
- 3School of Medical and Health Sciences, Tung Wah College, Homantin, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- 4College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Republic of Korea.
- 5Department of Marine Industrial and Maritime Police, College of Ocean Science, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Republic of Korea.
- 6Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea.
- 7Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea.
- 8Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae causes sporadic, often fatal septicaemia in cetaceans; published cases rest almost entirely on cultured isolates, and none has included post-mortem imaging. We investigated a juvenile male short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) stranded on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, using post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) of the frozen carcass, necropsy, histopathology and tiered molecular testing. Rhomboid skin lesions extended through the skin into the blubber. PMCT documented gravity-dependent pulmonary opacification, fluid in the trachea and bronchi, peritoneal effusion, no decomposition gas and a gastric fishing hook, confirmed at necropsy. Culture was not attempted because the carcass had been stored frozen. Erysipelothrix spp. DNA was detected by broad-range 16S rRNA sequencing in 11 of 12 tissues, and E. rhusiopathiae was identified by species-specific PCR and amplicon sequencing in all 12 tissues, yielding one identical 356-bp sequence. Histopathology showed epidermal coagulative necrosis with septal panniculitis and abundant Gram-positive bacteria throughout the lesion, pulmonary haemorrhage and oedema, interstitial nephritis and reactive lymphadenitis, consistent with fatal septicaemia. The case provides imaging correlates of erysipelas, a culture-independent diagnostic framework for frozen carcasses and a tissue-by-tissue molecular dataset; the relationship of the strain to other Korean cetacean isolates remains to be established genomically.
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BibTeX
@article{park2026systemic,
title = {{Systemic Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae Infection with Rhomboid Skin Lesions in a Free-Ranging Short-Beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) Stranded in Jeju, Republic of Korea: Post-Mortem Computed Tomography, Pathology and Multi-Tissue Molecular Detection.}},
author = {Ji-Hyung Park and Yu Ri Heo and Young Jin Ryu and Ji Yeong Choi and Mohan Huang and Seyoung Lee and Jong-Pil Seo and Adams Hei Long Yuen and Byung Yeop Kim and Seung Hyeok Seok and Sang Wha Kim},
journal = {Veterinary sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/vetsci13101125},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42944219},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Systemic Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae Infection with Rhomboid Skin Lesions in a Free-Ranging Short-Beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) Stranded in Jeju, Republic of Korea: Post-Mortem Computed Tomography, Pathology and Multi-Tissue Molecular Detection.
AU - Ji-Hyung Park
AU - Yu Ri Heo
AU - Young Jin Ryu
AU - Ji Yeong Choi
AU - Mohan Huang
AU - Seyoung Lee
AU - Jong-Pil Seo
AU - Adams Hei Long Yuen
AU - Byung Yeop Kim
AU - Seung Hyeok Seok
AU - Sang Wha Kim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - Veterinary sciences
DO - 10.3390/vetsci13101125
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42944219
AB - Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae causes sporadic, often fatal septicaemia in cetaceans; published cases rest almost entirely on cultured isolates, and none has included post-mortem imaging. We investigated a juvenile male short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) stranded on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, using post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) of the frozen carcass, necropsy, histopathology and tiered molecular testing. Rhomboid skin lesions extended through the skin into the blubber. PMCT documented gravity-dependent pulmonary opacification, fluid in the trachea and bronchi, peritoneal effusion, no decomposition gas and a gastric fishing hook, confirmed at necropsy. Culture was not attempted because the carcass had been stored frozen. Erysipelothrix spp. DNA was detected by broad-range 16S rRNA sequencing in 11 of 12 tissues, and E. rhusiopathiae was identified by species-specific PCR and amplicon sequencing in all 12 tissues, yielding one identical 356-bp sequence. Histopathology showed epidermal coagulative necrosis with septal panniculitis and abundant Gram-positive bacteria throughout the lesion, pulmonary haemorrhage and oedema, interstitial nephritis and reactive lymphadenitis, consistent with fatal septicaemia. The case provides imaging correlates of erysipelas, a culture-independent diagnostic framework for frozen carcasses and a tissue-by-tissue molecular dataset; the relationship of the strain to other Korean cetacean isolates remains to be established genomically.
SN - 2306-7381
ER -