Dolphin Morbillivirus in a Cuvier's Beaked Whale ( Ziphius cavirostris ), Italy

Dolphin morbillivirus (DMV) has caused several mortality events in Mediterranean striped ( ) and bottlenose ( ) dolphins populations since 19; in the last 5 years, the virus was reported to infect new hosts in this basin, such as fin whales ( ), sperm whales ( ), and even a harbor seal ( ). Very recently, a calf Cuvier's beaked whale ( ) calf stranded on the Southern Italian coastline with mild pathological findings suggestive of morbilliviral infection, received the first confirmation of DMV infection in this species by biomolecular evidences on lung tissue. This new cross-species infection report, along with 19% of the cetaceans specimens examined by the Italian Stranding Network being found positive to DMV, support the hypothesis of an endemic circulation of this virus among Mediterranean cetaceans.