Diseases of Marine Mammals: Prevention, Control and Beyond
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Mammals".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 77
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
One Health is a paradigm in medicine where ocean health is one of the foundational strategies, not only in the conservation efforts of protecting the marine ecosystem, but where marine life takes a role as sentinels for human health. Marine mammals, such as cetaceans, pinnipeds, and sirenians, face a variety of emerging and re-emerging diseases that pose significant threats to their health, survival, and conservation efforts. These diseases, ranging from infectious to environmental pollutants, present widespread ecological and economic impact. Understanding the dynamics of marine mammal health is critical not only for species survival, but also for the preservation of healthy marine ecosystems and consequently aquatic animal and human health. Recent studies have highlighted the impacts of climate change, habitat degradation, and anthropogenic activities, which exacerbate disease susceptibility and hinder effective disease prevention and control strategies. Despite significant progress in understanding the etiology and pathology of marine mammal diseases, progress must still be made in terms of establishing robust diagnostic tools, effective preventive measures, and cross-disciplinary management approaches.
The goal of this Special Issue is to compile recent advances in the study of marine mammal diseases, focusing on prevention, control, and innovative strategies for diagnostics, control and long-term management. Contributions will highlight novel diagnostic methods, therapeutic interventions, and ecological approaches to minimize disease risks. By bridging gaps between veterinary medicine, pathology, marine biology, and environmental science, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive resource for researchers, conservationists, and policymakers dedicated to safeguarding ocean health, marine mammal health and biodiversity.
Dr. Suzana Tkalcic
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- marine mammals
- ocean health
- climate change
- anthropogenic impacts
- conservation
- disease prevention and control
- diagnostics
- health management
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