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.
GRANT GUILFORD, W. (1996) Gastric dilatation, gastric dilatation-volvulus and chronic gastric volvulus. In Strombeck's Small Animal Gastroenterology.
REPTILES serve as hosts for five subfaimilies, as wx'ell as a larg,c X ariety of geniera, of filarial neimlatodes, some of xxwhich are specific (Lane and Mlader 1996). Susceptible host reptiles are infected xhen blood-suckinig arthropods, prnimarily mIosquitoes conltaiinigit infectix\e third-stage larvae, trainsimiit microfilariae duriing feedinlg (Thomas aind others 1996). NMemllbers of the genlis F/lcey/ll are filarids, comrmonl found in mruscrilar and connectixe tissues, bod) cavities or-lyrphatic sinrises of amplibians and reptiles (Schacheli and CIrais 1973, Thonmas a;nd others 1996). Diagnosis of filariasis in rcptils icsbsased lipOi the piieseiice of imiici-ofilariae in thie blood. At necropsv, adult vorms m1av be forind in the SribCritaneCOiS tissIes or frCC in the bodv caxvities, and histologically the microfilariae max be detccted in tissure scCtiOls (Bolette 1998).In both hrimlani filariasis and canine dirofilariasis it has been possible to detect parasite antigenis in the sera of infected patients (Forsyth and others 1985, Weil and others 1985). The aintigenIs ai-e seen to play anl important role in the pathogenicsis of sexveral tissrIe lesions. In DJiro[ilarlia i;ioilitis-infected dogs, par-asite anitigenis, associated xw'ith morphological alteratioiis, haxe been detected in the lunol aind kidncy LSIII(J imIiruinofluoresceint (Crarier aind others 1987) aiid immrinuIoperoxiidase m-iethods (Tanaka and Atxw'ell 1991 ). This short commrinlicatioi describes aii immrinolohistochemical studrx on tissue sections from an Oristalet's chaimleleoin (Furci/ec ousta/lti) infected by Foleye/ll species, in order to dcetect parasite antigenls.A 115 g adrilt imiale captix e Oustalet's chameleon was submitted foir necropsv to the Unit of Pathology, V7eterinaryFacrilty, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The reptile had been imported fi-om Alicainte, Spaini, and had exhibited anorexia and letharg for one xxeek before its death. At necropsy, five adult filarial nematodes xxere collected from the subcritaneous tissIes of the lateral abdominal and thoracic areas (Fig I). In additioin, two filarial nematodes xxere obserxved on the plceira of the left ling and txxo filarial nemiiatodes xxere present on the gastric serosa associated xw'ith sexeral granriloimiata. No gross lesioins xvere observed in other maljor organs.Blood xxas collected from the ventricle by cardiocentesis, and several air-dried blood films xxere miade immeriatelI folloxving collection. Nuimerous microfilariae xvere foLlnd in these blood films stained xxith roritine Romaniowskv's stain (Fig I ). The xxworms xxere fixed bx immersion fnr 24 horirs in 70 per cent ethanol aind 5 per cciet glycerine, 70 per cenit ethanol and 50 per cent glycerine and prire glycerine, respectiveIvN They xswere then mounted for identification followiing the glycerine jelly morInting procedure (Ash and Orihel 1991) and xvere identified as Foleyclla species (Anderson and Bain 1976).Tissue saimples trom all organis were fixed in 10 per ccnt neutral buffered formalin, emlbed...
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