ABSTRACT
The essential function of the mammalian immune system is to protect against infectious diseases, which may be caused by invading parasites, viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and also to respond to aberrant macromolecules such as cancerous cells (Owen et al. 2013). Immune system monitoring and functional immunological assays have increasing roles in marine mammal medicine. Collectively, they can assess disease (infectious and noninfectious) in individual managed-care animals, monitor the health of stranded animals during their rehabilitation, and measure the health of wild populations, especially with regard to contaminant/pollutant exposure (e.g., oil spill exposure, harmful algal bloom biotoxin exposure) or disease outbreaks (e.g., morbillivirus, influenza A virus). This chapter begins by reviewing advances in marine mammal immunology and functional immune assays and concludes with consideration of future needs in the field.
