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Cuvier's beaked whales, Ziphius cavirostris, one of the regular cetacean species of the Mediterranean Sea, are affected by underwater noise, mainly shipping, naval exercise and seismic operations worldwide. Between 9 February - 6 March 2023 but mostly in 9-10 February, at least 13 beaked whales stranded in the northwest and west of the Cyprus Island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. This study presents the preliminary findings of necropsy, histopathology and virology of six individuals and compiles information on the present human threats in the region at the time of the incident. Histopathological findings did not provide a clear result. However, intense congestion was seen in both macroscopic and histopathological examinations. The presence of undigested fresh squid in the stomach is an indicator of sudden death. Besides, intravascular gas bubbles in macroscopic examination were in line with the general findings in previous studies on beaked whale strandings after they had died due to military exercises. As a precautionary approach, activities generating impulsive underwater noise need to follow the ACCOBAMS Mitigation Guideline and if not they should halt particularly in areas where cetaceans presence is known. In a further note, all the Parties of ACCOBAMS are expected to refrain from conducting naval exercises involving sonar or underwater bursts near "Areas of Particular Concern for Beaked Whales", taking into account the ACCOBAMS resolution 5.13 of 2013 and urges the implementation of underwater noise mitigation strategies in the fragile habitats of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim/aim: SARS-CoV-2 disease was announced as a pandemic by The World Health Organization in early 2020. It is still threatening the world population. Here, we aimed to produce hyperimmune sera that contain immunoglobulin G and F(ab')2 fragments sourced from horse antibodies as an urgent response to the pandemic., Materials and Methods: SARS-CoV-2 was produced and inactivated with three different methods [formaldehyde (FA), formaldehyde, and binary ethylene amine (FA + BEI), and heat treatment]. After in vitro inactivation control, immunogens were mixed with Freund’s adjuvant, thereafter horses (n: 2 for FA, 4 for FA + BEI, 2 for heat inactivation) and New Zealand rabbits (n: 6 for FA, 6 fo r FA + BEI, 6 for heat inactivation) were immunized four times. Neutralizing antibody levels of the sera were measured at the 4th, 6th, and 8th weeks. When the antibodies were detected at the peak level, plasma was collected from horses and hyperimmune sera procured after the purification process., Results: Horses and rabbits produced highly neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 in FA and FA + BEI inactivation groups, foreign proteins were removed effectively after purification., Conclusion: This study presents a profitable practice to develop specific antisera in horses against SARS-CoV-2 for emergency and low-cost response. In further studies, new purification methods can be used to increase the efficiency of the final product., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest., (This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)