Patricia A. Fair Research Physiologist National Ocean Service  Ph.D., Clemson University pat.fair@noaa.gov
Research: Effects of environmental contaminants, emerging disease and stressors on the health of marine mammal populations. Our laboratory conducts health assessments on coastal dolphins measuring a wide range of health parameters and contaminants. One research focus is investigating toxicological effects of environmental contaminants and exploring their effects using animal and in vitro models, and developing biomarkers and health assessment tools. Studies examine the relationship of anthropogenic contaminants on the health and disease processes of coastal bottlenose dolphin populations, assessing spatial and temporal trends of contaminants and environmental associations and the application of dolphins as sentinels to advance our understanding of ecosystem perturbations.
Publications: Bossart, G.D., T.A. Romano, M.M. Peden-Adams, C.D. Rice, P.A. Fair, J.D. Goldstein, K. Cammen, J.S. Reif. Hematological, biochemical and immunological fndings in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) with orogenital papillomas. Aquatic Mammals. (in press) Reif, J.S., M.M. Peden-Adams, T.A. Romano, C.D. Rice,P.A. Fair, G. Bossart. Immune dysfunction in Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) with lobomycosis. Medical Mycology (in press) Reif, J.S., P.A. Fair, B. Joseph, D.K. Kilpatrick, R. Sanchez, J.D. Goldstein, J. Adams, S.D. McCulloch, M. Mazzoil, E. Zolman, Hansen, L.J., and G.D. Bossart. Health status of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from the Indian River Lagoon, FL and Charleston, SC. Journal of the American Veterinary Association (in press) Dubey, J.P., P.A. Fair, N. Sundar, G. Velmurugan, O.C.H. Kwok, W. W. McFee, and C. Su. Isolation of Toxoplasma Gondii from bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Journal of Parasitology (in press) Mendoza, L., A.F.F. Belone, R. Vilela, M. Rehantz, G.D. Bossart, J.S. Reif, P.A. Fair, W.N. Durden, J.St. Leger, L.R. Travassos, and P.S. Rosa. 2008. Western blotting analyses of the humoral immune response to Lacazia loboi antigens using sera from humans and dolphins with lacaziosis and sera from experimentally infected mice. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 15(1):164-167. Vecchione, A. M.M. Peden-Adams, T.A. Romano, P. Fair. 2008. (Tursiops truncatus). Aquatic Mammals 34(1), 93-101. Recent cytokines findings and implication toward health assessment of bottlenose dolphin. Aquatic Mammals 34(1), 93-101. Stavros, H-C W., G.D. Bossart, T.C. Hulsey and P. A. Fair. 2008. Trace element concentrations in blood of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): influence of age, sex and location. Bulletin of Marine Pollution 56, 371-379. Montie, E.W., P.A. Fair, G.D. Bossart, G.B. Mitchum, M. Houde, D.C.G. Muir, R.J. Letcher, W.E. McFee, V.R. Starczak, A. Solow, J.J. Stegeman, and M.E. Hahn. 2008. Cytochrome P4501A1 expression, polychlorinated biphenyls and hydroxylated degradation products, and blubber dynamics of bottlenose dolphins from the southeast United States. Aquatic Toxicology 86:397-412. Fair, P.A., D.C.G. Muir, J. Small, S. Sturman, J. Adams, M. Houde, G.D. Bossart. 2007. Tissue Distribution of perfluoroalkyl compounds in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from southeast coastal USA. Organohalogen Compounds 69:849-852. Fair, P.A., G. Mitchum, T.C. Hulsey, J.Adams, E.Zolman, W.McFee, E.Wirth and G.D. Bossart. 2007. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in blubber of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from two southeast Atlantic Coastal Areas. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 53, 483-494.