Scientists seek cure for manatees against red tide disease

Florida International University and the Mote Marine Laboratory are developing new and more effective methods for treating manatees exposed to toxic red tides.

Both research centers received a $ 428,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to launch the three-year project to improve veterinary care for rescued manatees.

"This has an impact on the manatee's immune system, it causes an immune compromise in manatees," said Dr. Cathy Walsh. Walsh is the director of MOTE's marine immunology program. Walsh has been studying the impacts of the red tide on manatees for over a decade.

Walsh said that while some manatees die from the toxin found in the red tide, other manatees fall ill.

"It induces a harmful phenomenon in the manatee's immune system called oxidative stress, which is essentially the release of harmful molecules that affect the manatee's ability to resist disease and cause inflammation and other adverse effects on the system. immune". "What we are trying to do is to know how the toxin causes this oxidative stress because we actually know that it binds to a specific enzyme in the immune system."

This is the first study of its kind targeting this specific enzyme of the immune system.

"I am very excited about this project," said Walsh. "We are trying to focus on the survival of those we are able to save and make it a more effective and successful process."

More than 575 manatees have already died this year, including 103 suspected or confirmed cases of red tide. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, this exceeds the total of 538 in 2017.

Once all the lab work is done, the scientists hope to have a drug available to test on sick manatees.