Morbillivirus serology results in common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from Barataria Bay, Louisiana from 2016-07-11 to 2017-09-21

Dolphin morbillivirus has been documented to cause mass mortality events of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the southeastern United States. We assessed 72 dolphins during health assessments performed during 2016-2017 in Barataria Bay to assess exposure levels within the population. Morbillivirus serology was performed on blood samples to assess morbillivirus titer levels. Samples with positive test results at dilutions of 1:16 or higher were classed as positive for morbillivirus antibody.