"A slew of pathogens typically found in livestock and domestic animals is increasingly being found in marine mammals, including in the Strait of Georgia off Vancouver."

"'We're finding similar pathology or abnormalities in marine mammals to what we're seeing in our livestock cases,' confirmed Stephen Raverty, a veterinary pathologist with B.C.'s animal health centre in Abbotsford.

Some of these pathogens are thought to make their way from land into the Strait of Georgia through rainwater and rivers, but there are also concerns that infected marine mammals could be posing risks of their own.

Harbour seals found in urban areas such as Vancouver and Victoria have been found to carry strains of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus, bacteria found in the intestinal tract, that are resistant to eight different antibiotics used in livestock."

Larry Pynn reports for the Vancouver Sun February 18, 2012. [2]