Geographic variation in marine turtle fibropapillomatosis

J Zoo Wildl Med. 2005 Sep;36(3):527-30. doi: 10.1638/04-051.1.

Abstract

We document three examples of fibropapillomatosis by histology, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and sequence analysis from three different geographic areas. Tumors compatible in morphology with fibropapillomatosis were seen in green turtles from Puerto Rico and San Diego (California) and in a hybrid loggerhead/ hawksbill turtle from Florida Bay (Florida). Tumors were confirmed as fibropapillomas on histology, although severity of disease varied between cases. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses revealed infection with the fibropapilloma-associated turtle herpesvirus (FPTHV) in all cases, albeit at highly variable copy numbers per cell. Alignment of a portion of the polymerase gene from each fibropapilloma-associated turtle herpesvirus isolate demonstrated geographic variation in sequence. These cases illustrate geographic variation in both the pathology and the virology of fibropapillomatosis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Fibroma / diagnosis
  • Fibroma / epidemiology
  • Fibroma / veterinary*
  • Geography
  • Herpesviridae
  • Herpesviridae Infections / diagnosis
  • Herpesviridae Infections / epidemiology
  • Herpesviridae Infections / veterinary*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
  • Skin Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Skin Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Skin Neoplasms / veterinary*
  • Tumor Virus Infections / diagnosis
  • Tumor Virus Infections / epidemiology
  • Tumor Virus Infections / veterinary*
  • Turtles