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Published online 17 October 2007 | Nature | doi:10.1038/449768b
Scandinavian seals hit by deadly virus
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Evidence suggests that high organochlorine and mercury intoxication can weaken the immune system of large marine mammals. It would be beneficial for researchers to perform body burden analyses for the "usual suspects" mercury, PCBs, PCDFs, dioxin, etc. The underlying culprit may turn out to be a susceptibility factor rather than a stronger than normal virus.