Fibropapillomatosis in Juvenile Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas)

Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is an emergent infectious disease that is threatening sea turtle populations worldwide. The disease is caused by a herpes virus; large tumors on the head, neck and limbs reduce the fitness of badly infected turtles (Fig. 1). Fibropapillomatosis is most common in degraded marine habitats but the environmental cofactors that trigger disease outbreaks remain unknown. In collaboration with Haereticus Environmental Laboratory, the UCF Marine Turtle Research Crew is using a cellular diagnostic system (CDS) to identify environmental stressors associated with FP outbreaks. The CDS includes immunoassays that reflect protein metabolic condition, metabolic homeostasis, oxidative stress and response, xenobiotic response and damage, genomic integrity, eicosanoid metabolism, and immunocompetence. We are comparing CDS parameters among three populations of green turtles with differing incidence of FP (Fig. 2) to identify potential stressors associated with disease prevalence. We also are comparing CDS parameters of green turtles in Indian River Lagoon with different FP histories (no visible FP; visible FP; and recaptured turtles that had and lost FP) to identify potential mechanisms of disease resistance. Our goal is to identify environmentally-mediated mechanisms of FP susceptibility and resistance (Table 1), thereby reducing the threat this herpesvirus poses to marine turtles.

Fig. 2

Fig. 1