In the Brugge dolphinarium, Belgium, a 19-year-old female Tursiops truncates has the habit of "splashing" herself quite hard against the surface of the water. This behavior has been going on for several years, and the episodes can last for hours with "splashing" every 30 seconds.

She is also rubbing herself all the time against the sides of the pool, with a preference for the region around the blowhole.

Complete physical and blood exams have been performed many times but the results were always normal. Many different treatments were given but without results. The only problem that she shows is the presence now and then of Candida albicans in her blowhole, but less than many of the other dolphins present in the same pool. Brugge is a "closed" facility and Candida can be a problem sometimes.

Even after treatment with itraconazole this behavior went on. Eventually it was found out that the animal was allergic to Candida.

The technique used for this test was developed at the Centre de Biologie Republique, Lyon, France. It is based on human basophiles degranulation that is sensitized on a particular allergen after having been activated by the serum of one species.

It seems that the system works also for dolphin serum, and this animal was shown to have a high level of IgE. An oral desensitization, based on regular sub-lingual administration of increasing concentration of candida has been proposed.