ABSTRACT: Ingestion of abnormal materials by cetaceans has been reported worldwide, but few studies have investigated the causes of foreign material ingestion. We retrospectively analysed necropsies performed between 2012 and 2019 on 88 cetaceans stranded along the coast of Catalonia, Spain, and evaluated the association of abnormal ingested materials with 2 risk factors, namely disease of the central nervous system (CNS) and maternal separation. Abnormal materials were found in the digestive tract in 19 of 88 (21.6%) cetaceans; of these, 13 (60%) had lesions in the CNS, such as morbilliviral encephalitis, neurobrucellosis or encephalomalacia, and 3 were diagnosed as having experienced maternal separation. In a logistic regression model, CNS lesions and maternal separation were identified as risk factors for ingestion of foreign material, but with wide confidence intervals, probably due to the small sample size. In contrast, abnormal ingestion was not identified in any of the 25 (28%) cetaceans whose cause of death was attributed to interaction with humans. Abnormal ingestion should be interpreted with caution, and efforts should be made at necropsy to exclude CNS diseases through pathologic and microbiologic investigations. If disease of the CNS is a significant risk factor for ingestion of marine debris by small odontocetes, results of monitoring programmes may be biased by the prevalence of CNS disease in a specific area or population.

中文翻译：

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加泰罗尼亚沿海沿岸牙本质动物摄取异物的原因和后果

摘要：全世界已有鲸类动物摄取异常物质的报道，但很少有研究调查异物摄取的原因。我们回顾性分析了2012年至2019年之间在西班牙加泰罗尼亚海岸搁浅的88只鲸类进行的尸检，并评估了摄入异常物质与2种危险因素（中枢神经系统疾病（CNS）和母体分离）的关联。88只鲸鱼中有19只（21.6％）在消化道中发现异常物质。其中13例（60％）在中枢神经系统中有病灶，例如麻疹病毒性脑炎，神经布鲁氏菌病或脑溢血病，其中3例被诊断为母体分离。在Logistic回归模型中，中枢神经系统病变和产妇分离被确定为摄入异物的危险因素，但置信区间较宽，可能是由于样本量较小。相反，在25个（28％）鲸类的死亡原因中，未发现异常摄入是由于与人的相互作用引起的。应当谨慎解释摄入异常，在尸检时应努力通过病理学和微生物学检查排除中枢神经系统疾病。如果中枢神经系统疾病是小的齿形突科动物吞噬海洋垃圾的重要危险因素，则监测计划的结果可能会因特定区域或人群中中枢神经系统疾病的流行而产生偏差。应当谨慎解释摄入异常，在尸检时应努力通过病理学和微生物学检查排除中枢神经系统疾病。如果中枢神经系统疾病是小的齿形突科动物吞噬海洋垃圾的重要危险因素，则监测计划的结果可能会因特定区域或人群中中枢神经系统疾病的流行而产生偏差。应当谨慎解释摄入异常，在尸检时应努力通过病理学和微生物学检查排除中枢神经系统疾病。如果中枢神经系统疾病是小的齿形突科动物吞噬海洋垃圾的重要危险因素，则监测计划的结果可能会因特定区域或人群中中枢神经系统疾病的流行而产生偏差。