Fibropapillomatosis in a Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) from the Southeastern Pacific

Cárdenas, Diana M; Cucalón, Roberto V.; Medina-Magües, Lex G.; Jones, Karina; Alemán, Rubén A.; Alfaro-Núñez, Alonzo; Cárdenas, Washington B.

doi:10.7589/2017-12-295

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Samples collected from turtles from a particular region tend to cluster into the associated phylogeographic group. For example, samples from Brazil cluster into the Atlantic [23] and samples from Ecuador into Pacific [25]. Variation in ChHV5 has also been described at more local levels, with four variants in Florida [26] and six variants in Brazil [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular evidence for horizontal transmission of chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 at green turtle (Chelonia mydas) foraging grounds in Queensland, Australia

et al. 2020

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Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a marine turtle disease recognised by benign tumours on the skin, eyes, shell, oral cavity and/or viscera. Despite being a globally distributed disease that affects an endangered species, research on FP and its likely causative agent chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) in Australia is limited. Here we present improved molecular assays developed for detection of ChHV5, in combination with a robust molecular and phylogenetic analysis of ChHV5 variants. This approach utilised a multi-gene assay to detect ChHV5 in all FP tumors sampled from 62 marine turtles found at six foraging grounds along the Great Barrier Reef. Six distinct variants of ChHV5 were identified and the distribution of these variants was associated with host foraging ground. Conversely, no association between host genetic origin and ChHV5 viral variant was found. Together this evidence supports the hypothesis that marine turtles undergo horizontal transmission of ChHV5 at foraging grounds and are unlikely to be contracting the disease at rookeries, either during mating or vertically from parent to offspring.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular evidence for horizontal transmission of chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 at green turtle (Chelonia mydas) foraging grounds in Queensland, Australia

et al. 2020

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“…Environmental factors may contribute to the expression and the severity of the disease [ 82 , 85 , 86 ]. The disease was first reported in an aquarium in New York [ 87 ], but is now reported globally in tropical waters [ 51 , 84 , 88 – 90 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disease risk analysis in sea turtles: A baseline study to inform conservation efforts

et al. 2020

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The impact of a range of different threats has resulted in the listing of six out of seven sea turtle species on the IUCN Red List of endangered species. Disease risk analysis (DRA) tools are designed to provide objective, repeatable and documented assessment of the disease risks for a population and measures to reduce these risks through management options. To the best of our knowledge, DRAs have not previously been published for sea turtles, although disease is reported to contribute to sea turtle population decline. Here, a comprehensive list of health hazards is provided for all seven species of sea turtles. The possible risk these hazards pose to the health of sea turtles were assessed and “One Health” aspects of interacting with sea turtles were also investigated. The risk assessment was undertaken in collaboration with more than 30 experts in the field including veterinarians, microbiologists, social scientists, epidemiologists and stakeholders, in the form of two international workshops and one local workshop. The general finding of the DRA was the distinct lack of knowledge regarding a link between the presence of pathogens and diseases manifestation in sea turtles. A higher rate of disease in immunocompromised individuals was repeatedly reported and a possible link between immunosuppression and environmental contaminants as a result of anthropogenic influences was suggested. Society based conservation initiatives and as a result the cultural and social aspect of interacting with sea turtles appeared to need more attention and research. A risk management workshop was carried out to acquire the insights of local policy makers about management options for the risks relevant to Queensland and the options were evaluated considering their feasibility and effectiveness. The sea turtle DRA presented here, is a structured guide for future risk assessments to be used in specific scenarios such as translocation and head-starting programs.

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“…Some of the more detailed descriptions are from sea turtles, tortoises and crocodiles. Grey patch disease and FP, characterised by coalescing greyish papular skin lesions (spreading patches) and branching papillary tumours ( Figure 6 ), respectively, have been reported in sea turtles ( 42 , 54 , 108 , 109 ). Lung-eye-trachea disease (LETD) with a clinical course of 2–3 weeks has been seen in green sea turtles ( 98 ).…”

Section: Clinical and Pathological Signsmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…FP is a debilitating disease characterised by the development of tumours ( 119 , 120 ). Depending on the location of the tumours, FP can have detrimental effects ( 109 , 121 ). On the basis of prevalence and distribution, Tagliolatto et al reported a prevalence rate of 43% for FP in green turtles captured in a foraging area in south-eastern Brazil ( 121 ).…”

Section: Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Herpesviruses in Reptiles

et al. 2021

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Since the 1970s, several species of herpesviruses have been identified and associated with significant diseases in reptiles. Earlier discoveries placed these viruses into different taxonomic groups on the basis of morphological and biological characteristics, while advancements in molecular methods have led to more recent descriptions of novel reptilian herpesviruses, as well as providing insight into the phylogenetic relationship of these viruses. Herpesvirus infections in reptiles are often characterised by non-pathognomonic signs including stomatitis, encephalitis, conjunctivitis, hepatitis and proliferative lesions. With the exception of fibropapillomatosis in marine turtles, the absence of specific clinical signs has fostered misdiagnosis and underreporting of the actual disease burden in reptilian populations and hampered potential investigations that could lead to the effective control of these diseases. In addition, complex life histories, sampling bias and poor monitoring systems have limited the assessment of the impact of herpesvirus infections in wild populations and captive collections. Here we review the current published knowledge of the taxonomy, pathogenesis, pathology and epidemiology of reptilian herpesviruses.

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Fibropapillomatosis in a Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) from the Southeastern Pacific

Cited by 16 publications

References 26 publications

Molecular evidence for horizontal transmission of chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 at green turtle (Chelonia mydas) foraging grounds in Queensland, Australia

Molecular evidence for horizontal transmission of chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 at green turtle (Chelonia mydas) foraging grounds in Queensland, Australia

Disease risk analysis in sea turtles: A baseline study to inform conservation efforts

Herpesviruses in Reptiles

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