Brucella ceti  "Brucella ceti" is a gram negative bacterial pathogen of the Brucellaceae family that causes brucellosis in cetaceans. "Brucella ceti" has been found in both classes of cetaceans, mysticetes and odontocetes. Brucellosis in some dolphins and porpoises can result in serious clinical signs including fetal abortions, male infertility, neurobrucellosis, cardiopathies, bone and skin lesions, strand events, and death. "Brucella ceti" was first isolated in 1994 when an aborted dolphin fetus was discovered. Only a small portion of those with "Brucella ceti" have overt clinical signs of brucellosis indicating that many have the bacteria and remain asymptomatic or overcome the pathogen. Serological surveys have shown that cetacean brucellosis may be distributed worldwide in the oceans. The likely transmission route for the bacterial pathogen in cetaceans is through mating or reproduction and lactation. Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease: marine mammal brucellosis can infect other species, including human beings. "B. ceti" is a gram negative, non motile, aerobic bacteria. The cells are cocci, coccobacilli (short rods) with a diameter of 0.5–0.7 µm and a length of 0.6–1.5 µm. The arrangement of the cells are usually singular with occasional configurations in pairs or short chains. Cell growth occurs between 20 and 40 degrees celsius with the optimum temperature of 37 degrees celsius and is improved by the presence of blood or serum, supplemental CO2 is not required for cell growth. The ideal pH range is between 6.6 and 6.7. "B. ceti" has been found via PCR isolation in 4 out of 14 cetacean families but antibodies against the bacteria have been isolated in 7 families. Within these families, B ceti has been cultured or found in Sowerby's beaked whales ("Mesoploden bidens"), longfinned pilot whales ("Globicephala melas"), northern minke whales ("Balaenoptera acutorostrata"), Cuvier's beaked whale ("Ziphius cavirostris"), Atlantic white-sided dolphins ("Lagenorhynchus acutus"), harbor porpoises ("Phocoena phocoena"), common dolphins ("Delphinus delphis"), white beaked dolphins ("Lagenorhynchus albirostris"), striped dolphins ("Stenella coeruleoalba"), bottlenose dolphins ("Tursiops truncatus") Hector's dolphins ("Cephalorhynchus hectori"), Maui's dolphins ("Cephalorhynchus hectori maui"), narwhales ("Monodon monoceros"), killer whales ("Orcinus orc"a) and Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis)    The most common symptoms include spontaneous abortions, fatigue, anorexia, seizures, fainting and neurobrucellosis, which can lead to disorientation and stranding events .