Great White Sharks Found Dead with Brain Inflammation, Scientists Seek Answers

For decades, Canadian researchers have studied the marine life of the North Atlantic without ever recording a single dead great white shark. However, in just one year, five carcasses of the species were discovered, sparking a significant mystery. Similar cases had already occurred in the United States, bringing the total to nine sharks found without visible signs of injury or malnutrition. After detailed analyses, specialists identified the cause: meningoencephalitis, an inflammation that affects the brain and its protective membranes, compromising essential survival functions. This condition can impair their ability to swim and feed, making them more vulnerable to stranding and other dangers.

However, meningoencephalitis is not a disease in itself but a symptom of something larger. Now, scientists are striving to understand what is behind this phenomenon.

A Condition Still Poorly Understood

In an interview with the IFLScience portal, Harley Newton, a veterinarian and chief scientist at the OCEARCH organization, which specializes in shark monitoring, highlighted the lack of information about natural diseases affecting these animals and their close relatives, such as rays. According to her, finding multiple individuals of the same species exhibiting the same inflammatory signs over several years is alarming. However, without a deeper understanding of the overall health of these sharks, it is still impossible to precisely assess the severity of the situation.

Newton was the first to identify meningoencephalitis in a great white shark in 2022 while analyzing brain tissue samples from an animal found in Long Island, New York. Since then, new cases have emerged in distant locations, such as Prince Edward Island in Canada and South Carolina in the United States. Still, the origin of the problem remains an enigma.

Impact on Sharks and Marine Balance

The emergence of this brain inflammation poses a new challenge for great white sharks, which are already threatened by predatory fishing and the deterioration of marine ecosystems. According to David Shiffman, a researcher in shark ecology and conservation, approximately one-third of known species of sharks, rays, and chimeras are at risk of extinction, as pointed out by the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

With this new concern, scientists and environmentalists are reinforcing the need for continuous monitoring to uncover the causes of this condition and minimize its impact on marine life.

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