• Question: Do dolphins get colds?

    Asked by to Peter on 15 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Peter Elliott

      Peter Elliott answered on 15 Jun 2014:

      An interesting question, which I decided to look into.

      The answer, surprisingly is yes they do. I have pasted an exert of an interview by Dr Hendrick Nollens where he states that dolphins can get colds.
      He has also done research to show that there are many other similar infections found in dolphins and humans.

      Dr.�NOLLENS: Yeah, we well, let’s backtrack a little bit. A few years ago, we didn’t anything, or much, about viral diseases in any marine mammals, including dolphins, and over the last few years we have learned a lot really quick, and one of them is one of the viruses that we did detect and did work up was called a para-influenza virus, which is a virus that is associated with common cold in humans, among other species.

      And actually, when we worked it up, it turned out that the virus causes an exact a very similar disease syndrome. Some animals do not show any clinical signs. They’re fine. They just, you know, fend it off. Other ones are just more vague. They don’t feel well and they want to stay in bed all day and don’t feel like eating, and other ones do develop more obvious respiratory signs. So yeah, they do get a common cold.

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