Sea Save Foundation
Contributor
Killer Whale Blowing Salmonella
Bacteria, usually associated with human infectious diseases, have been found in the blowholes of killer whales. Salmonella, which can cause food poisoning in humans and Staphylococcus, which can cause pneumonia, were both found in the killer whale’s exhaled air. The killer whales probably pick up the bacteria from swimming through sewage, but scientists found a different array of pathogens in the water that the whales swim through. It was the southern resident killer whales studied, which range from Monterey, California through British Columbia’s Queen Charlotte Islands.
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Bacteria, usually associated with human infectious diseases, have been found in the blowholes of killer whales. Salmonella, which can cause food poisoning in humans and Staphylococcus, which can cause pneumonia, were both found in the killer whale’s exhaled air. The killer whales probably pick up the bacteria from swimming through sewage, but scientists found a different array of pathogens in the water that the whales swim through. It was the southern resident killer whales studied, which range from Monterey, California through British Columbia’s Queen Charlotte Islands.
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