Pathology of large marine vertebrates

Students will be introducted to the study of pathology of marine mammals, mainly cetaceans, using a combination of lectures, case discussions, and bibliographic resources. Lectures will focus on understanding pathology of the main diseases and processes affecting marine mammals, with special focus on infectious and parasitic lesions, both macroscopic and microscopic, and how to interprete them to understand of causes of death or stranding. Information on detection of human interaction and its consequences at necropsy will be also presented. There will be also a brief introduction to necropsy technique and sampling methods.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Learning of lesion and disease nomenclature.

Identification of the main lesions associated to the different diseases affecting marine mammals.

Case analysis and critical assessment of information.

Development of skills for necropsy and sampling for disease investigation