Hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. (hemoplasmas) are uncultivable bacteria that infect mammals, including humans. We detected a potentially novel hemoplasma species in blood samples from wild river dolphins in the Amazon River Basin, Brazil. Further investigation could determine pathogenicity and zoonotic potential of the detected hemoplasma.
Keywords: Amazon Basin; Brazil; aquatic mammals; bacteria; hemoplasmas; hemotropic Mycoplasma; infectious diseases; molecular detection; river dolphin; zoonoses.