How to translate text using browser tools
1 December 2017 DETECTION OF COPATHOGENS IN FREE-RANGING EASTERN BOX TURTLES (TERRAPENE CAROLINA CAROLINA) IN ILLINOIS AND TENNESSEE
Grace A. Archer, Christopher A. Phillips, Laura Adamovicz, Mark Band, John Byrd, Matthew C. Allender
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Conservation efforts are investigating the impact of diseases within a species of interest, including prevalence and transmission and morbidity and mortality rates. However, the majority of these studies focus solely on the characteristics of a single pathogen. Recently, the role of copathogens has been reported to impact disease susceptibility and mortality. To that effect, a survey was conducted including 318 eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) from populations in Illinois and Tennessee in 2014 and 2015. Blood samples and oral swabs were collected for quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of 15 different pathogens performed in a multiplex format using Fluidigm array technology. Four pathogens were found with varying qPCR prevalence: ranavirus (FV3; n = 2, 0.6%), Terrapene herpesvirus 1 (TerHV1; n = 129, 40.7%), box turtle Mycoplasma sp. (BT Myco; n = 14, 4.6%), and box turtle adenovirus (BT Adv1; n = 18, 11%). Thirteen pathogens were not identified in any sample, including Mycoplasma agassizii, M. testudineum, Salmonella enteriditis, S. typhmirium, Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocyophilum, tortoise intranuclear coccidia, Ambystoma tigrinum virus, Bohle iridovirus, Epizootic hematopoietic necrosis virus, and testudinid herpesvirus 2. Copathogen occurrence was rare but was observed in eight individuals with TerHV1-BT Myco detection and two animals with TerHV1-Adv1. Significant differences were observed in pathogen detection across season (TerHV1, BT Adv1, BT Myco, and TerHV1-Myco) and year (TerHV1, BT Adv1, and TerHV1-Myco). The results of this survey highlight that a single pathogen model may not adequately explain pathogen dynamics and that conservation efforts need to be aimed at detecting multiple pathogens in order to fully characterize population health.

Copyright 2017 by American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
Grace A. Archer, Christopher A. Phillips, Laura Adamovicz, Mark Band, John Byrd, and Matthew C. Allender "DETECTION OF COPATHOGENS IN FREE-RANGING EASTERN BOX TURTLES (TERRAPENE CAROLINA CAROLINA) IN ILLINOIS AND TENNESSEE," Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 48(4), 1127-1134, (1 December 2017). https://doi.org/10.1638/2017-0148R.1
Accepted: 1 September 2017; Published: 1 December 2017
KEYWORDS
conservation
copathogens
ecology
epidemiology
ranavirus
reptile
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top