Overview
- Researchers used consumer drones with sterile Petri dishes to gather exhaled breath from humpback, sperm and fin whales across the Northeast Atlantic between 2016 and 2025.
- Molecular screening found cetacean morbillivirus in humpback groups in northern Norway, a sperm whale in poor health, and a stranded pilot whale.
- Herpesviruses were detected in humpback whales across Norway, Iceland and Cape Verde, while tests found no avian influenza virus or Brucella in sampled pods.
- The approach, described by co-authors as non-invasive and low stress, offers a scalable tool for real-time health monitoring of free-swimming whales.
- The multi-institution study led by Nord University with partners including King’s College London and The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies was published in BMC Veterinary Research and flags outbreak risks during dense winter-feeding aggregations.