This paper lists the pathological findings and causes of mortality of 93 sea turtles (88 Caretta caretta, 3 Chelonia mydas, and 2 Dermochelys coriacea) stranded on the coasts of the Canary Islands between January 1998 and December 2001. Of these, 25 (26.88%) had died of spontaneous diseases including different types of pneumonia, hepatitis, meningitis, septicemic processes and neoplasm. However, 65 turtles (69.89%) had died from lesions associated with human activities such as boat-strike injuries (23.66%), entanglement in derelict fishing nets (24.73%), ingestion of hooks and monofilament lines (19.35%), and crude oil ingestion (2.15%). Traumatic ulcerative skin lesions were the most common gross lesions, occurring in 39.78% of turtles examined, and being associated with Aeromonas hydrophila, Vibrio alginolyticus and Staphylococcus spp. infections. Pulmonary edema (15.05%), granulomatous pneumonia (12.90%) and exudative bronchopneumonia (7.53%) were the most frequently detected respiratory lesions. Different histological types of nephritis included chronic interstitial nephritis, granulomatous nephritis and perinephric abscesses, affecting 13 turtles (13.98%). Ulcerative and fibrinous esophagitis and traumatic esophageal perforation were the most frequently observed lesions in the esophagus, being associated in the majority of the cases with ingestion of fishing hooks. Larval nematodes of the Anisakidae family caused gastritis in 15 turtles (16.13%). Necrotizing and/or granulomatous hepatitis were the lesions most commonly observed in the liver (27.95%). Traumatic lesions included necrotizing myositis (10.75%) mainly caused by entanglement in fishing nets or boat-strikes, and amputation of 1 or 2 flippers (25.81%) by netting. Traumatic erosions and/or fractures of the carapace/plastron mainly caused by boat-strikes were also observed (26.88%). Eye lesions included heterophilic keratoconjunctivitis, ulcerative keratitis and heterophilic scleritis, affecting 7 turtles (7.53%). KEY WORDS: Sea turtle · Pathology · Loggerhead turtle · Caretta caretta · Reptile Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherDis Aquat Org 63: [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] 2005 ciencies, are essentially a result of prolonged captivity in wildlife rehabilitation centers (George 1997).All species of sea turtles are included in the 'red list' of the World Conservation Union (IUCN/SSC 2002). The IUCN/SSC (1995) has emphasized research on diseases of sea turtles as a priority issue.There are reports of disease surveys of wild sea turtles in Australia (Glazebrook & Campbell 1990b, Raidal et al. 1998), Hawaii (Work & Balazs 1998, France (Duguy et al. 1998) and Florida (Smith & Coates 1938).This paper lists the pathological findings and causes of mortality of 93 sea turtles stranded on the coasts of the Canary Islands between January 1998 and December 2001. MATERIALS AND METHODSBetween January 1998 and December 2001, 93 sea turtles that stranded on the coasts of the Canary Islan...

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A juvenile loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) stranded in Gran Canaria, Spain was necropsied. The turtle was underweight, had sunken eyes, and small amounts of crude oil were in the oral cavity. The most significant lesion was a large esophageal diverticulum at the junction of the esophagus and stomach. The diverticulum was full of gas and green mucoid fluid and a diffuse thick yellow fibrinonecrotic membrane covered the mucosa. The lumen of the diverticulum also contained moderate numbers of cephalopods, crustaceans, and anthropogenic debris including crude oil balls, plastics, and fishing lines. Histologically there was a severe diffuse fibrinonecrotic esophagitis. Aerococcus viridans was isolated from the diverticulum. This is the first report of an esophageal diverticulum in a sea turtle. Although A. viridans is a known pathogen of lobsters and fishes, there are no reports of A. viridans infection in sea turtles.

Abstract.A juvenile female loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) stranded in Gran Canaria was submitted for necropsy. The turtle had exhibited anorexia and lethargy for 2 weeks prior to its death. At necropsy, the thymus was enlarged by two white and firm nodules. White nodules similar to those in thymus were observed in the plastron, thyroid gland, heart, aorta, left lung, spleen, liver, kidneys, stomach, and small intestine. Histopathology revealed a neoplastic proliferation of round cells identified as lymphoid cells. Ultrastructurally, the neoplastic cells were consistent with lymphoblastic cells, and viruses were not detected. The diagnosis was multicentric lymphoblastic lymphoma. This is the first report of a lymphoid neoplasm in a sea turtle.Key words: Caretta caretta; lymphoblastic lymphoma; neoplasia; reptiles; sea turtles.Descriptions of neoplasia in reptiles are uncommon in comparison to prevalences reported for mammals and birds. 7 Except for fibropapillomatosis, neoplastic disease is very infrequently seen in sea turtles. Within the class Reptilia, lymphoid neoplasias are more frequently found in snakes, 1,8 although there are also descriptions in lizards, 1,11,12,14 crocodilians, 13 and terrestrial chelonians. 3,4,6,10 Here, we describe the macroscopic, cytologic, histopathologic, and ultrastructural findings in a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) with multicentric lymphoblastic lymphoma.A juvenile (straight carapace length ϭ 34 cm; weight ϭ 5 kg) female loggerhead sea turtle stranded in Gran Canaria was submitted to the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, for necropsy. After stranding, the turtle had been housed in an aquarium at the Center of Rehabilitation of Wild Fauna, Gran Canaria, for 2 weeks. On physical examination, the turtle had been depressed, anorexic, and lethargic. The mucous membranes of the oral cavity appeared paler than normal. Blood was not collected for hematology, and it is not known whether the turtle was leukemic. Despite force feeding and intramuscular administration of the antimicrobial enrofloxacin, the turtle died.At necropsy, the turtle was cachectic. The ventral aspect of the plastron was infiltrated with white and firm irregular masses, ranging in size from 2 to 4 cm. The thymus glands were bilateral and were located in the cervical region in the angle formed by the subclavian and common carotid arteries. The thymus of each side was white and firm and consisted of several lobes. Each lobe contained multiple nodules that were of similar size, irregular, and homogeneous in color and texture on cut section. The total weight of the thymus was 25 g, and it appeared to be larger than those of previous turtles we had necropsied.White nodules similar to those described in thymus were observed in the thyroid gland. Several irregularly shaped, sharply demarcated white foci up to 2 cm in diameter were present in the ventral pectoral muscles. Similar masses were observed in the coelomic wall. The coelomic cavity contained approximatel...

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