scholarly journals Gastrointestinal investigation of parasites and Enterobacteriaceae in loggerhead sea turtles from Italian coasts

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonino Pace ◽  
Laura Rinaldi ◽  
Davide Ianniello ◽  
Luca Borrelli ◽  
Giuseppe Cringoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Faecal Samples

Abstract Background Caretta caretta is the most abundant sea turtle species in the Mediterranean, and studies on this species have vastly expanded during recent years, including those investigating gut bacterial and parasitic communities. Members of these communities have been reported with variable prevalence and pathogenicity, mainly depending on their host and environment (e.g. lifespan, distribution, habitat, diet, health status and stressors). Indeed, many species commonly inhabiting the sea turtle gastrointestinal tract exhibit an opportunistic behaviour. This study aimed to provide baseline data on enterobacterial and parasitic composition, through bacteriological culture-based methods and the FLOTAC parasitological technique, in cloacal and faecal samples of 30 live Caretta caretta, examined upon their arrival at the Marine Turtle Research Centre (Portici, Italy). Results Enterobacteriaceae were isolated in 18/23 cloacal samples (78.3%), with Citrobacter and Morganella as the most common genera, followed by Proteus, Enterobacter, Providencia, and Hafnia. Parasitic elements were detected in 11/30 faecal samples (36.7%), with Enodiotrema, Rhytidodes, and Eimeria as most common genera, followed by Pachypsolus and Cymatocarpus. Additionally, Angiodyctium is reported for the first time in this host. The majority (47.8%) of sea turtles hosted exclusively Enterobacteriaceae, whereas 30.4% hosted both parasites and Enterobacteriaceae; the remaining 21.8% hosted neither of the agents. Conclusions Bacteria and parasites evaluated in the present study are common in Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles, with slight differences between the western and eastern basin. Although naturally present in the gastrointestinal system of free-living sea turtles, their relationship with these hosts might range from mutualism to parasitism. Indeed, members of the gut community might express their pathogenic potential in immune-compromised animals, such as those in rehabilitation facilities. Therefore, it is advisable to include in the standard work-up of rescued sea turtles a screening procedure for such opportunistic agents, in order to better evaluate the animal’s health status and achieve timely intervention with appropriate treatment, thus improving rehabilitation. Furthermore, data collected from free-living sea turtles represent a starting point for investigating wild populations. However, further studies are needed to clarify the differences between sea turtle’s normal gut microbiome and pathobiome.

Effects of different health status on blood haematochemical values of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta)

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esterina Fazio ◽  
Annalisa Liotta ◽  
Pietro Medica ◽  
Elisabetta Giacoppo ◽  
Adriana Ferlazzo
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles

Intraerythrocytic inclusion bodies in the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta from Madeira

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 957-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C. Eiras ◽  
T. Dellinger ◽  
A.J. Davies ◽  
G. Costa ◽  
A.P. Alves de Matos
Keyword(s):  
Red Blood Cells ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
Inclusion Bodies ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
Intracytoplasmic Inclusion ◽  
Intracytoplasmic Inclusion Bodies

Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies were detected in the mature red blood cells of twenty juvenile loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, captured in Madeira. The bodies were mostly single, round to oval, frequently irregular in outline, and their diameter varied from 0.5 to 2.0 μm. Most bodies were associated with small granular areas, often in the form of a tail or projection. In some cells, only granular areas were apparent. The nuclei of most erythrocytes were irregular in outline but degeneration of red blood cells was not observed. The identity of these intraerythrocytic structures is not clear but they may be viral or rickettsial in nature.

scholarly journals Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence Profiles of Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta) of the Island of Maio, Cape Verde

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 771
Author(s):  
Matilde Fernandes ◽  
Miguel L. Grilo ◽  
Carla Carneiro ◽  
Eva Cunha ◽  
Luís Tavares ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Resistance ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Cape Verde ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Pathogenic Potential ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Phenotypic Characterisation

Previous studies revealed high levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), describing this species as prime reservoir of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. This study aimed to characterise, for the first time, the AMR and virulence profiles of Gram-negative bacteria isolated from 33 nesting loggerhead turtles of the island of Maio, Cape Verde. Cloacal, oral, and egg content swab samples (n = 99) were collected and analysed using conventional bacteriological techniques. Shewanella putrefaciens, Morganella morganii, and Vibrio alginolyticus were isolated from the samples under study. The isolates obtained from this loggerhead subpopulation (North-East Atlantic) revealed lower levels of AMR, compared with the results of studies performed in other subpopulations (e.g., Mediterranean). However, the detection of resistance to carbapenems and multiple antimicrobial resistance indices higher than 0.20, raises concern about the potential association of these animals to points of high antimicrobial exposure. Furthermore, virulence phenotypic characterisation revealed that the isolates presented complex virulence profiles, including the ability to produce biofilms. Finally, due to their pathogenic potential, and considering the evidence of illegal consumption of turtle-related products on the island of Maio, the identified bacteria may represent a significant threat to public health.

scholarly journals First record of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta in Sebastián Vizcaíno Bay, Baja California Peninsula, Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-149
Author(s):  
Helena Fernández-Sanz ◽  
Fabián Castillo Romero ◽  
Joaquín Rivera Rodríguez ◽  
Noé López Paz ◽  
Gabriel Arturo Zaragoza Aguilar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baja California ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
First Record ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Baja California Peninsula ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Biometric Data ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle

The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is an endangered species which distributes around the west coast of the Baja California Peninsula. In Baja California Sur, the conservation efforts for this species were focused in the Gulf of Ulloa; however, within the Pacific coast of the Baja California Peninsula, Sebastián Vizcaíno Bay (SVB) biological active center suit the optimal conditions for the presence of loggerheads. This study aimed to investigate SVB as a potential foraging area for loggerheads. Between July and August 2018, three prospective surveys were conducted, in search of marine turtles in SVB. A total of three loggerhead turtles and one eastern Pacific green turtle (Chelonia mydas) were captured; biometric data were recorded, and organisms were classified as juveniles. This is the first report of the loggerhead sea turtles in the SVB and given the oceanographic characteristics of the bay, it is a potential foraging and development area for the species.

Barnacles (Cirripedia, Thoracica) and associated epibionts from sea turtles in the central Mediterranean

Crustaceana ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 85 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 533-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Casale ◽  
M. D’Addario ◽  
D. Freggi ◽  
R. Argano
Keyword(s):  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Pioneer Species ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Benthic Habitats ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Juvenile Mortality ◽  
Host Habitat

The association patterns and ecology of sea turtle epibionts, and especially obligate epibionts, are still poorly known. Epibiont communities were investigated in the central Mediterranean Sea in relation to the host habitat and seven species of barnacles, three amphipods, one crab, and one tanaid were found on 117 loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta. Particular attention was given to barnacles, some of them being obligate turtle epibionts, with a total of 3330 individuals examined, among which high intraspecific aggregation was observed. Results indicate that (i) the species composition of barnacles varies among turtles frequenting not only different geographic areas but also different habitats in the same area, (ii) different species have marked preferences for hosts frequenting pelagic vs. benthic habitats, and also (iii) for body parts of the host representing microhabitats with different features and trophic opportunities, (iv) settlement is favoured by the presence of conspecific individuals and possibly also (v) by individuals of related species, notably Chelonibia testudinaria that may act as a pioneer species, and finally (vi) barnacles show rapid turnover on turtles, with relatively short lives, rapid growth, and high juvenile mortality.

scholarly journals Helminth Infection of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta along the Coasts of Sicily and the North West Adriatic Sea

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1408
Author(s):  
Antonino Gentile ◽  
Tullia Amato ◽  
Andrea Gustinelli ◽  
Maria Letizia Fioravanti ◽  
Delia Gambino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
North West ◽  
The North

We provide new data on the presence of helminth parasites in 64 individual loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta stranded along the coasts of Sicily and the northwest Adriatic Sea between June 2014 and August 2016. The necropsy examination revealed 31 individuals (48.4%) positive for endoparasites, showing a greater prevalence of trematodes than nematodes. In particular, seven species and a single genus of Trematoda (Hapalotrema) and a single species and genus of Nematoda (Kathlania) were identified. Among the Digenea flukes the species with the highest prevalence of infection were Rhytidodes gelatinosus (34.6%) and Hapalotrema sp. (33.3%), while among the Nematoda they were Kathlania sp. (33.3%) and Sulcascaris sulcata (33.3%). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied among the recovery sites of the stranded loggerhead sea turtles and prevalence of endoparasites was used to highlight any relationship between the parasites and the origin of the hosts. ANOVA showed significant differences (p < 0.001) among the data used.

The widely occurring brittlestar Ophiactis savignyi (Amphilepidida: Ophiactidae) as an epibiont on loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4695 (5) ◽  
pp. 497-500
Author(s):  
RYOTA HAYASHI ◽  
MASANORI OKANISHI
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
First Occurrence

We describe the first occurrence of the widely occurring brittlestar Ophiactis savignyi (Müller & Troschel, 1842) as epibionts on Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758), the loggerhead sea turtles. On the sea turtle epibionts, the coronulid barnacles were well studied as listed in Hayashi (2013), and recently some crustaceans were collected from loggerhead sea turtles and described as new species (Tanabe et al. 2017; Tanaka and Hayashi 2019). In contrast, echinoderm epibionts listed from sea turtles are poorly understood (Table 1) and this study represents the novel discovery of an ophiuroid, which was not previously known to occur on the surface of this species. 

scholarly journals Characterization of oral and cloacal microbial communities of wild and rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta)

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Klara Filek ◽  
Adriana Trotta ◽  
Romana Gračan ◽  
Antonio Di Bello ◽  
Marialaura Corrente ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Oral Microbiota ◽  
Wild Animals ◽  
Stepping Stones ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Microbial communities of wild animals are being increasingly investigated to provide information about the hosts’ biology and promote conservation. Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) are a keystone species in marine ecosystems and are considered vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, which led to growing efforts in sea turtle conservation by rescue centers around the world. Understanding the microbial communities of sea turtles in the wild and how affected they are by captivity, is one of the stepping stones in improving the conservation efforts. Describing oral and cloacal microbiota of wild animals could shed light on the previously unknown aspects of sea turtle holobiont biology, ecology, and contribute to best practices for husbandry conditions. Results We describe the oral and cloacal microbiota of Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles by 16S rRNA gene sequencing to compare the microbial communities of wild versus turtles in, or after, rehabilitation at the Adriatic Sea rescue centers and clinics. Our results show that the oral microbiota is more sensitive to environmental shifts than the cloacal microbiota, and that it does retain a portion of microbial taxa regardless of the shift from the wild and into rehabilitation. Additionally, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes dominated oral and cloacal microbiota, while Kiritimatiellaeota were abundant in cloacal samples. Unclassified reads were abundant in the aforementioned groups, which indicates high incidence of yet undiscovered bacteria of the marine reptile microbial communities. Conclusions We provide the first insights into the oral microbial communities of wild and rehabilitated loggerhead sea turtles, and establish a framework for quick and non-invasive sampling of oral and cloacal microbial communities, useful for the expansion of the sample collection in wild loggerhead sea turtles. Finally, our investigation of effects of captivity on the gut-associated microbial community provides a baseline for studying the impact of husbandry conditions on turtles’ health and survival upon their return to the wild.

scholarly journals Record of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Caretta caretta (Testudines, Cheloniidae), in the Black Sea with the Review of the Species Occurrence in the Region

Zoodiversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-132
Author(s):  
O. Zinenko ◽  
K. A. Vishnyakova ◽  
L. Stoyanov ◽  
P. E. Gol’din
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
First Record ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
The North ◽  
North Western

A rare live record of the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) is reported from the Dzharylgach Gulf in the north-western Black Sea. This is the first record from Ukrainian waters since 1962 and the northernmost record of the species in the Black Sea. The loggerhead sea turtles of the east Mediterranean origin are increasingly often seen in the Marmara and the Black Sea during the latest decade, which is an evidence for potential expansion of this species range, at least partly due to climate changes. Key words: sea turtles, Caretta caretta, Black Sea, Ukraine, range expansion.

Smaller longer, larger shorter: energy budget calculations explain intrapopulation variation in remigration intervals for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta)

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (7) ◽  
pp. 595-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideo Hatase ◽  
Katsumi Tsukamoto
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Energy Budgets ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Intrapopulation Variation ◽  
Turtle Population ◽  
The Difference ◽  
And Migration

Adult female loggerhead sea turtles ( Caretta caretta (L., 1758)) show a size-related behavioural and trophic dichotomy within several populations: oceanic planktivory by small females and neritic benthivory by large females. Within a Japanese population, smaller females have longer remigration intervals (the intervals between successive nesting years) than larger females. We hypothesized that this is attributed to the size-related foraging dichotomy, and calculated energy budgets and food requirements for the small and large females. Total reproductive energy costs for the small and large females were 1003 and 434 MJ, equivalent to 4043 kg of planktonic items and 275 kg of benthic items, respectively. The minimum durations necessary for accumulating the total reproductive energy for the small and large females were 430 and 26 days, equivalent to remigration intervals of 2 years and 1 year taking into account the nesting and migration durations and seasonal reproduction. Therefore, it was theoretically demonstrated that the intrapopulation variation in remigration intervals for Japanese loggerheads could be caused by the difference in their feeding habits, implying that remigration dynamics in a sea turtle population that shows a foraging dichotomy is regulated by feeding conditions not in a single habitat but in multiple habitats.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document