RESUMOA tartaruga-verde, Chelonia mydas (Linnaeus, 1758), é a mais comum na região costeira do Brasil e a compreensão da morfologia e de processos fisiológicos básicos nesses organismos é importante, podendo fornecer subsídios para estudos evolutivos sobre a espécie. O objetivo deste trabalho foi descrever a morfologia do esôfago de C. mydas, com a finalidade de se produzirem informações que possibilitem análises comparativas com outros quelônios. Utilizaram-se oito animais, provenientes do litoral do Espírito Santo, no período de setembro a novembro de 2014. Obtiveram-se dados de comprimento curvilíneo da carapaça (CCC) e largura curvilínea da carapaça (LCC). O esôfago foi retirado desde a inserção da orofaringe até a porção inicial do estômago para avaliação histomorfológica e medida do comprimento. Foram avaliadas quatro regiões do esôfago. O órgão inteiro foi fixado em formalina a 10% e, posteriormente, foi coletado um fragmento de cada região para processamento histológico e coloração pelas técnicas hematoxilina e eosina (HE), tricrômico de Masson, Gram e ácido periódico-Schiff (PAS). Os animais juvenis possuíam CCC médio de 38,8±6,43cm e LCC média de 35,6±6,59cm; o animal adulto mediu 102,3cm de CCC e 96,9cm de LCC. O comprimento médio do esôfago foi de 20,47±1,56 nos juvenis, e total de 55,6cm no adulto. Observou-se que o esôfago de C. mydas é um órgão tubular muscular constituído de papilas cônicas que variam de quantidade e tamanho à medida que se aproximam do estômago, revestidas por epitélio estratificado pavimentoso queratinizado e ricas em tecido mixoide. Há variação nas camadas mucosa, muscular externa e serosa entre as regiões do esôfago e há presença de glândulas produtoras de muco na mucosa da região da junção gastroesofágica. As características histomorfológicas do esôfago de C. mydas são importantes para exercer as funções mecânica e de proteção da mucosa desse órgão. Palavras-chave: morfologia, quelônios, trato gastrintestinal, papilas esofágicas ABSTRACT Understanding the morphology and basic physiological processes in
Caseous lesions in the esophagus of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from the coast of Brazil have been described as obstructive lesions and can lead to the death of these animals. However, their etiology remains unclear. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize the aerobic bacterial microbiota of the esophagus of green turtles (C. mydas) from the Brazilian coast and to verify its possible participation in the etiology of caseous lesions. For this, 42 animals were used, 33 alive and healthy and 9 naturally dead that had esophageal lesions confirmed by necropsy, from Anchieta and Piúma beaches, Espírito Santo. Microbiological tests and morphological evaluation of the esophagus were performed. We isolated 14 different bacterial agents from healthy animal samples, with the prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa being (36.36%), Staphylococcus aureus (33.33%), Aeromonas hydrophila (27.27%), and Vibrio alginolyticus (24.24%). In dead animals, only three distinct agents were isolated: S. aureus (50.00%), A. hydrophila (25.00%), and V. alginolyticus (25.00%). Morphological evaluation revealed a predominance of the lesions at the gastroesophageal junction, with multifocal-to-coalescent distribution, discrete intensity, and absence of obstruction. Ulcerations and caseous exudates, inflammatory infiltrates, parasitic eggs, and giant foreign body cells were also observed as well as bacterial lumps and glandular alterations, such as necrosis, adenitis, and fragments of adult parasites. There was a positive correlation between bacterial lumps and microbiological culture and a negative correlation between bacterial lumps and microbiological culture with parasites. Thus, it was noted that the esophageal aerobic microbiota of C. mydas was predominantly composed of Gram-negative bacteria such as P. aeruginosa, A. hydrophila, and V. alginolyticus, in addition to several enterobacteria and Gram-positive bacteria, such as S. aureus. These agents are opportunists and may be involved in the etiology of caseous esophagitis in association with other pathogens as co-factors working in association or, even in a secondary way.
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