First findings of ulcerative and necrotizing dermatitis in olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in La Escobilla, Oaxaca, Mexico
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Ulcerative and necrotizing dermatitis (UND) is a cutaneous disease caused by traumatic skin lesions on the necks of sea turtles. In this study we report the first findings of UND in free-ranging olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in La Escobilla, Oaxaca, Mexico. We found several skin injury conditions on the necks of nesting turtles in the arribada events of the 2021 nesting season. Samples from injuries were taken with sterile swabs for bacteriological analyses, and antimicrobial resistance profiles were studied. Of the 525 turtles examined, 278 had injuries on the back of the neck (52.9% prevalence). Two bacteria (Pseudomonas sp. and Staphylococcus sp.) and 1 fungus (Candida sp.) were identified in 8 turtles with UND. Ciprofloxacin was the only antibiotic with high inhibition of Staphylococcus sp. and Pseudomonas sp. We recommend initiating a continuous monitoring program to follow the occurrence of dermatitis disease in L. olivacea in subsequent years to better document prevalence and progression of skin injuries in more individuals.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an open access article distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, which allows you to share and adapt the work, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. Figures, tables and other elements in the article are included in the article’s CC BY 4.0 license, unless otherwise indicated. The journal title is protected by copyrights and not subject to this license. Full license deed can be viewed here.
Metrics
References
Barragán K. 2002. Enfermedades de reptiles y anfibios [Diseases of reptiles and amphibians]. Asociación de Veterinarios de Vida Silvestre. 3(2):113.
Blasi MF, Migliore L, Mattei D, Rotini A, Thaller MC, Alduina R. 2020. Antibiotic resistance of gram-negative bacteria from wild captured loggerhead sea turtles. Antibiotics. 9(4):162. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics9040162 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics9040162
Booth J, Peters JA. 1972. Behavioral studies on the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in the sea. Anim Behav. 20(4):808-812. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(72)80155-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-3472(72)80155-6
Boylan SM, Stacy BA, Wyneken J. 2017. Integumentary system. In: Manire CA, Norton TM, Stacy BA, Innis CJ, Harms CA (eds.), Sea turtle health and rehabilitation. Florida (USA): J Ross Publishing. p. 243-264.
[CLSI] Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. 2018. Performance Standard for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing. Clinical and Laboratory Institute (NCCLS). 15th Informational Supplement. [place unknown]: CLSI. CLSI/NCCLS document M100-S15.
[CONANP] Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas. 2009. Estudio previo justificativo para establecer el área natural protegida en categoría de Santuario Playa de Escobilla, Santa María Tonameca, Oaxaca [Previous justification study to establish the natural protected area of Escobilla beach Sanctuary, Santa María Tonameca, Oaxaca]. Mexico: CONANP. 125 p.
Dobbs K. 2001. Marine Turtles in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area: a compendium of information and basis for the development of policies and strategies for the conservation of marine turtles. 1st ed. Tomnsville (Australia): Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. 53 p.
Duignan PJ, Stephens NS, Robb K. 2020. Fresh water skin disease in dolphins: a case definition based on pathology and environmental factors in Australia. Sci Rep. 10:21979. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78858-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78858-2
Gamez-Vivaldo S, García-Márquez LJ, Osorio-Sarabia D, Vázquez-García JL, Constantino-Casas F. 2009. Pathology in the olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) that arrived to the shores of Cuyutlán, Colima, Mexico. Vet Mex. 40(1):69-78.
Glazebrook JS, Campbell RSF. 1990. A survey of the diseases of marine turtles in northern Australia. I. Farmed turtles. Dis Aquat Org. 9:83-95. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao009083 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao009083
Herrera-Galindo JE, Meraz-Hernando J, Buenrostro-Silva A, Karam-Martínez SG, Mendoza-Vázquez A, Alejo-Plata C. 2015. Las salpas (Thaliacea: Salpidae) como posibles vectores de saxitoxina entre dinoflagelados y tortugas marinas [Salps (Thaliacea: Salpidae) as possible vectors of saxitoxin between dinoflogellates and sea turtles]. Ciencia y Mar. 24:41-49.
Köhler G. 2006. Diseases of amphibians and reptiles. Florida (USA): Krieger Publishing Company. 184 p.
Maas AK. 2013. Vesicular, ulcerative, and necrotic dermatitis of Reptiles. Vet Clin Exotic Anim. 16(3):737-755. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvex.2013.05.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvex.2013.05.007
Mazzarella KT, Stacy BA, Kabat LJ, Swanson HJ. 2020. Bacterial dermatitis affecting the carapace of nesting green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Marine Turtle Newsletter. 161:24-27.
Orós J, Torrent A, Calabuig P, Déniz S. 2005. Diseases and causes of mortality among sea turtles stranded in the Canary Islands, Spain (1998–2001). Dis Aquat Org. 63(1):13-24. http://doi.org/10.3354/dao063013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao063013
Peralta E, Luna T. 2016. Tortuga golfina [Olive ridley turtle]. In: Gaona O, Barragán AR (eds.), Las tortugas marinas en México: logros y perspectivas para su conservación [Sea turtles in Mexico: achievements and prospects for conservation]. Ciudad de México (Mexico): [CONANP] Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas. p. 81-102.
Perrault JR, Perkins CR, Ajemian MJ, Bresette MJ, Mott CR, Page-Karjian A. 2020. Harmful algal and cyanobacterial toxins in foraging green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Florida’s Big Bend. Toxicon X. 5:100020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxcx.2019.100020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxcx.2019.100020
Perrault JR, Stacy NI, Lehner AF, Mott CR, Hirsch S, Gorham JC, Buchweitz JP, Bresette MJ, Walsh CJ. 2017. Potential effects of brevotoxins and toxic elements on various health variables in Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles after a red tide bloom event. Sci Total Environ. 605-606:967-979. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.149 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.149
Santoro M, Hernández G, Caballero M, García F. 2006. Aerobic bacterial flora of nesting green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica. J Zool Wildlife Med. 37(4):549-552. https://doi.org/10.1638/05-118.1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1638/05-118.1
Santoro M, Morales JA, Rodríguez-Ortíz B. 2007. Spirorchiidiosis (Digenea: Spirorchiidae) and lesions associated with parasites in Caribbean green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Vet Rec. 161(14):482-486. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.161.14.482 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.161.14.482
Vega-Manriquez DX, Dávila-Arrellano RP, Eslava-Campos CA, Salazar-Jiménez E, Negrete-Philippe AC, Raigoza-Figueiras R, Muñoz-Tenería FA. 2018. Identification of bacteria present in ulcerative stomatitis lesions of captive sea turtles Chelonia mydas. Vet Res Commun. 42(3):251-254. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-018-9728-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-018-9728-y
Wiles M, Rand TG. 1987. Integumental ulcerative disease in a loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta at the Bermuda Aquarium: microbiology and histopathology. Dis Aquat Org. 3:85-90. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao003085 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao003085
Yager JA, Wilcock BP. 1994. Color Atlas and Text Surgical Pathology of the Dog and Cat: Dermatopathology and skin tumors. London (UK): Mosby-Yearbook Press. p. 407-410.
Zimmerman LM, Paitz RT, Vogel LA, Bowden RM. 2010. Variation in the seasonal patterns of innate and adaptative immunity in the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta). J Exp Biol. 213(9):1477-1483. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.037770 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.037770