Notes

When an orca breaks through the water's surface and exhales, it sprays an array of bacteria and fungi, some good and some bad, says a new study of orcas in Puget Sound. In the study, scientists on boats followed the orcas as they swam to identify different types of bacteria and fungi contained in the breath samples. According to the findings, some of the bacteria in the samples are resistant to multiple antibiotics frequently used by people and animals, indicating that the bacteria come from pollution -pollution that includes everything from what is flushed down the toilet to agricultural runoff. Scientists don't know enough yet to say how injurious the microbes are to the orcas. The potential problem, scientists say, is that orcas with weak immune responses can be more susceptible to types of bacteria that can cause respiratory disease. The concern is amplified by the fact that the Puget Sound orca population is not robust. As part of an effort to augment that population, scientists are creating personal health records for each orca in Puget Sound and giving each one a number and a name. As the first analysis to provide a snapshot of the importunate pathogens burdening the orcas in the Sound, the breath study will serve as a baseline for scientists to compare changes in the orcas' respiratory conditions over time.