FRECUENCIA DE LESIONES EN GENITALES DE DELFINES Tursiops truncatus DE LA CAYERíA NORTE CENTRAL DE CUBA

among the most recent described viral diseases for bottlenose dolphins tursiops truncatus is papillomatosis; a kindly tumour entity that affects skin and mucosa of different parts in the body of aquatic and terrestrial animals, including humans. with the goal to determine the presentation frequency of these lesions in external genital, 263 bottlenose dolphins from north central coast of sabana-camaguey archipelago were studied between the years 2000 and 2010. based on clinical identification of external warty lesions compatible with papilloma, the 30% of all animals presented them. the presentation frequency of these lesions in males was higher than in females (20% vs. 10%, p<0,001). besides, it was evident that immature animals are more susceptible to the disease than adults (25% vs. 5%). this is the first report in cuban waters and the second in atlantic waters, about the presence of papilloma in genital of wildlife bottlenose dolphins, with a high and sustained presentation frequency.