Whales DX with Collagenous Colitis!

harvest_table · Post by **harvest_table** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 7:19 pm

Quite by accident, just came upon this blog "Even whales get the runs"

Was it the diarrhea? Five melon-headed whales that beached themselves in Florida last year were suffering from a nasty colon disease that produces chronic diarrhea in humans.

Collagenous colitis may have caused distress that led to the beaching. Where did the disease, previously known only in humans, come from? Pollution or climate change are the possible causes mentioned by scientists in the know.

http://blogfishx.blogspot.com/2007/07/e ... -runs.html

Did a bit more research...

Now, scientists at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution say they've found the first known instance of a human colon disease in those whales.

Together, the individual marine mammal mysteries may be a warning sign global climate change, over-fishing, pollution and a plethora of environmental issues are reaching a critical point, Harbor Branch scientist Dr. Gregory Bossart and his colleagues theorized.

Only two sightings of the marine mammal have been documented during surveys along the U.S. Atlantic coast since the early 1980s, according to Harbor Branch research.

So when the whales stranded in a 24-hour period in March 2006, scientists had a rare opportunity for study.

The necropsies were intensive, as scientists took tissue samples from lungs, livers, spleens, large intestines and a host of other organs.

Testing on their colons showed the whales suffered from an ailment called collagenous colitis, which causes, among other problems, diarrhea.

The illness, not usually life-threatening in humans, might be caused by toxins created

http://www.sikunews.com/skriv_ut.html?c ... artid=3389

Here's more from another article

In all cases, the alimentary tract had gross and microscopic lesions. Colons had an unusual microscopic lesion diagnosed as particularly floridexamples of the collagenous stage of microscopic colitis known as collagenous colitis as reported in humans. The lesion was characterized by a dif-fuse, irregular, moderate thickening of the colonic wall due to deposition of subepithelial collagen between the muscularis mucosae and basement membrane of the surface epithelium in the lamina propria. The surface epithelium and collagen layer had mild multifocal infiltrates of neutrophils and eosinophils and mildly increased numbers of lym-phocytes and plasma cells. Additionally, mild to moderate myocardial degeneration was a consis-tent finding in all cases. Less consistent lesions included erosive esophagitis, ulcerative gastritis, granulomatous gastritis, ulcerative dermatitis, and Nasitrema-associated suppurative sinusitis.

Don't those terms I've highlighted in red sound familiar to many of us?

http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:aq ... cd=4&gl=us

In all cases, the alimentary tract had gross and microscopic lesions. Colons had an unusual microscopic lesion diagnosed as particularly florid examples of the collagenous stage of microscopic colitis known as collagenous colitis as reported in humans.

Even made ingentaconnect.

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/e ... 2/art00010

What do ya think of that?

In shock, my jaw is still wide open.

Joanna

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 9:12 pm

Maybe I am a whale not an old lady...LOL
grannyh

harvest_table · Post by **harvest_table** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 9:29 pm

Okay.....whale or old lady Grannyh.

Glad your back.

Love,
Joanna

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 9:32 pm

I read your article to my husband and he said maybe it isn't the first instance of a human disease in whales..maybe we are the first human instance of a whale disease.... you just never know...LOL

harvest_table · Post by **harvest_table** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 9:50 pm

It's the first known human colon disease though. We know, they didn't take NAIDS, or were GF.

Now, scientists at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution say they've found the first known instance of a human colon disease in those whales.

Enviornmental.

Post by **tex** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 2:47 am

Hahahahaha. I see they, (the illustrious "scientists in the know"), didn't hesitate to blame the problem, (like virtually all other "new" problems that are being discovered these days), on the popular cause of the day - namely global warming.

The disease was first described in humans only 30 years ago. Back then, though, the "experts" were all warning of the coming ice age. It's lucky that they didn't think about blaming human CC on global cooling, because then they would have all looked like fools, when global warming became the popular "cause", a couple of decades later. LOL. If you look at published news reports, and magazine articles, over the last century or so, the "expert" consensus of opinion bounced back and fourth between predictions of global warming, and ice age, about every 30 to 40 years. I find it rather ludicrous that the minor average temperature fluctuations that this planet has experienced in the past decade or so is blamed for causing a collagenous colitis problem in whales. Gimme a break. LOL.

Cattle and sheep get IBDs very similar to Crohn's. Dogs and cats are known to be subject to MC. Why do some "experts" consider it to be remarkable that other mammals should present with MC. Whales are mammals.

I agree with Grannyh's husband. You don't find a disease like MC unless you look for it, and you won't find it unless you know how to look for it. I have a sneaking suspicion that if the "exports" would bother to go around biopsying the colons of various other mammals, they would be surprised to discover that MC is a rather common disease in the world of mammals.

If it's caused by global warming, why was it discovered in humans during a period of global cooling? Furthermore, if it's caused by global warming, then there should have been mini-epidemics of it during each of the preceding periods of global warming, IOW, at least a couple of times in each century. I don't see that in the records.

Tex

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:01 am

Joanna,

Verrrry interesting! Now we know that dogs and whales are being diagnosed with MC. At the very least it gives increased publicity to "our" disease. I hope the scientists continue to look for MC everywhere - it may help us to zero in on the real causes, which remain elusive to date. It wouldn't surprise me if the changing food supply were a major aspect of the problem. If animals, because of global warming and other environmental factors, are having to change their sources of food abruptly, perhaps they do not yet have the genetic capability to be able to handle the new foods........similar to us with hunter-gatherer genes who cannot handle grains and dairy. Who knows? Anyway, thanks so much for sharing. Every piece of the puzzle (big picture of MC) is so important!

Love,

Polly

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:18 am

Since they don't know why whales beach themselves.. one has to wonder if all of the beached whales over the years had CC. Maybe they will find a cure for the whales that will help us too:)
grannyh

kate_ce1995 · Post by **kate_ce1995** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:45 am

The whales might be the best resource though to figure out why this condition happens. With domestic animals and humans, there seems to be this very strong food intolerance issue. But what has changed in the whale's diet. Perhaps we are just "drugging" ourselves with food modifications and there is a totally separate underlying cause?

Does raise the eyebrows though.

Katy (who is off to snowblow the 8 or so inches that have fallen so far today.)

annie oakley · Post by **annie oakley** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 12:48 pm

All the more reason to stop animal abuse. Animals are alot like humans. They get desease that we do and they feel, Love OMA

Peggy · Post by **Peggy** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 1:11 pm

How do you give a whale a sigmoidoscopy?

Why, with four skin divers, of course

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 1:30 pm

Post by **tex** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 5:51 pm

The whales that travel up rivers, and/or beach themselves, seem to be confused and/or disoriented. Maybe they get brain fog the same way that some of us do. Or, maybe they're futilely attempting to search for some type of food that might provide a rich source of nutrients, that would allow them to overcome the malabsoprption problem that they probably also have.

Tex

mle_ii · Post by **mle_ii** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 6:41 pm

My guess would be the toxic waste we dump into the oceans, rivers, streams, lakes, etc.

Very interesting indeed.

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 6:54 pm

As long as CC was basically an "old lady disease" no one really did much research on it. Maybe now that whales have it more work will be done more quickly.
grannyh