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Revision of fibropapilomatosis in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Uruguayan waters

Virginia Ferrando, Alejandro Fallabrino, Andres Estrades, Vanessa Massimino, Tatiana Curbelo, ONG Karumbé, Uruguay

Graphic 1. Green turtles with cutaneous tumors separated by month


Introduction
Green turtle fibropapilomatosis (GTFP) is a disease of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) that is characterized by multiple cutaneous papilomas, fibromas, and fibro- papilomas, as well as occasional visceral fibromas. The tumors may occur in
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january flippers, axillar an inguinal region, mouth, eyes, neck and plastron. Is a benign illness but it can be very debilitating depending the location. It can affect motion, feeding, sight or buoyancy. Visceral tumors can cause organic failure and
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february death. GTFP prevalence varies considerably among geographic locations, ranging from 0 to 92%, and can have substantial differences over relatively short distances (Work et al. 2001). In the region GTFP is diagnosed en Brazil,
12 march (Guimaraes et al 2013, Rodenbusch et al, 2014). In Uruguay, fibropapilomatosis was first described in a green turtle that has stranded in January 2000 (Caraccio, in pres) and was confirmed histopathologically in January and may 2003
10 april in to green turtles, one captured and one stranded, respectively (Pastorino et al, 2004).
may
8 The aim of this study is evaluate the evolution and the characteristic and mortality of this disease in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Uruguayan waters.
6 june
july
4
august
2
september
Materials and methods
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october A total of 2867 turtles has been studied from Karumbe database. Each turtle was measured, weighted, photografied and tagged when they be released. Information about presence of cutaneous tumors, location, size and pigmentation
november has been reported and analized. Three turtles were biopsied and the tumours were collected for histopathology in formol at 10%.

Results
Cutaneous tumors were founded in only 102 juvenile green turtles from a total of 2867 studied green turtles (incidental capture, scientific capture and stranding data, Karumbe NGO database) between January 2000 to December 2014.
The range of CCLn-t and weigth of the turtles affected with fibropapilomas was 37,6 - 71,0 cm and 4,75 - 39,24 kg (Table 1). The most frecuent size of CCL was between 50,0 and 54,9 cm. The main peak of presence (7,8%) was in 2011,
Table 1– Number of turtles according each Table 2– Number of turtles with 21 cases from a total of 473 juvenile green turtles (Table 2). Mainly, the studied turtles were founded in Rocha department (La Coronilla, Punta del Diablo and Santa Teresa beaches). Only one was founded in Maldonado department.
CCL. with cutaneous tumors
This turtle was the most austral case of fibropapilomatosis in Green Turtle (34°52'33.13"S 55°16'49.69" W).
N° Cutaneous Turtles with fibropapilomatosis appeared during the austral summer (December-march), when water temperatures reach 20 – 24 °C. Exceptionally, 18 cases occurred during the austral winter (April-September), registering water tempera-
CCL (cm) N ° GREEN TURTLES Year tumors tures around 10-15°(Grafic 1).
2000 1 Most of them were in healthy condition, presenting moderate epibiota. Only one turtle arrived with bad condition and buoyancy problem to the rescue center and released a month later. The histopathology showed lesions compatible with
35,0 - 39,9 3 fibropapilomas.
2001 0
40,0 - 44,9 17
The location of the cutaneous tumors, in descending order, were in inguinal and axillaries regions, neck, flippers, periocular surface, pericloacal zone and plastron. Most of the turtles had papillary, pedunculated and cauliflower shape tu-
45,0 - 49,9 26 2002 1
mors, 80% were unpigmented. The size of the tumors are variable, most of them had 2,0 ± 0,5 cm of diameter, the biggest had 10 cm and the smallest had 0,5 cm of diameter. Generally, tumors don´t affect sight, movements or possible
50,0 - 54,9 30 2003 3 copulation. Only one turtle had severe fibropapilomatosis because the tumors occupied a big part of axillar and inguinal region.

55,0 - 59,9 19 The three biopsies, from two turtles, one captured and one stranded in 2003 (Pastorino et al, 2004) and from the turtle captured in Maldonado are histopatologically compatible with fibropapilomatosis. All samples shows a papillary pat-
2004 6
tern and presents acanthosis and orthokeratotic hyperkeratosis with a moderate pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia. In the dermis there is a fibroblastic proliferation with inflammation infiltration. It were no seen intranuclear or intracyto-
60,0 - 64,9 5 2005 5 plasmatic structures.
65,0 - 69,9 1 2006 2 The study of the evolution of the tumors are posible comparing photos between the same individuals captured and recaptured. In the photos we can check the new occurrence of fibropapillomas or increase in their size and presence of re-
70,0 - 74,9 1 2007 5 gression.
2008 8
A total of 4 turtles were recaptured. One do not had registered previously the presence of tumors (Fig. 1). Partial regression (20-50%) has occurred in two turtles recaptured one year later (Fig. 2). In one turtle the tumors has increased (100
2009 20 -200%) (Fig. 3). In the first recapture the turtle was operated in the inguinal región and one an a half year later the scar was in perfect condition and no regression was observed.
2010 20
2011 21
2012 5 Discussion
2013 2 Because Uruguay is a feeding and growing area of green turtles and GTPF is characterized for affecting juvenile sea turtles, is hopefull that this illness were present in Uruguayan population. In the present study, only the 3,55% of green tur-
2014 3 tles (captured and stranded) were affected. This value are lower than in Brazil that only in 2009 and 2010, had an apparent prevalence of 31.38% (220/701), 23.98% (301/1255), 4.54% (90/1971) and 12.69% (287/2262) in State of Ce-
ará, Bahia, Sao Paulo and Espiritu Santo.
About the cause of FP, Herpes virus is involucrated. This virus produce caracteristic inclusion bodies in the tissues that were absent in the histophatology but is necessary collect more samples for understand this illness. FP apparently af-
fect turtles with good condition, only one was emaciated, similar results shows Rodenbusch et al (2014) (75% of the turtles were healthy). GTPF is not a cause of mortality in this population contrary of the situation of Hawaii were FP is the
most significant cause of stranding morbidity and mortality in green turtles (Work et al, 2004),

Fig. 2. Parcial regression of the cutaneous tumors in two green turtles.


Figure 1.– Turtle with tumors that appear in the fourth Fig. 3. Size increased 100– 200% more in tumors of this green turtle in one
recapture, 2 years after the first capture. year. Two tumors of the left inguinal region were excised in 9/2/10 and one
year later the zone not show any recurrence.

a) capture in 21/1/09, recapture in 10/2/10.

b) capture 10/1/11,recapture in 17/1/12

Bibliography Acknowlegements
1. Pastorino MV, Aguirre A, Caraccio MN, Hernández M, Falabrino A, Moraña A. First histophatological confirmation of fibropapilomatosis in juvenile green turtles in Uruguay. We wants to thanks at the Zoo of Villa Dolores, Fernando Cirilo, Daniel del Bene, “Yuyo “, Facultad de Veterinaria specially Sergio, Guillermo, Victoria, Muñeco, Pizón, Al-
varo, Martino, Moraña y Deborah del Corral. A todos por su colaboración y dedicación
2. Guimarães S, Gitirana H, Vidal A, Monteiro-Neto C, Lobo-Hajdu G. Evidence of regression of fibropapillomas in juvenile green turtles Chelonia mydas caught in Niterói, southeast Brazil Diseases of Aquatic Orgamisms (102: 243
–247) 2013.
3. Rodenbusch C, Baptistotte C, Werneck M. R., Pires TT, Melo MTD. , Ataíde MW, K. dos Reis DHL, Testa P, Alieve MM, Canal CW. Fibropapillomatosis in green turtles Chelonia mydas in Brazil: characteristics of tumors and virus.
Diseases of Aquatic Orgamisms (111: 207–217) 2014.
4. Work T, Balazs G, Rameyer RA, Morris R. Retrospective pathology survey of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) with fibropapillomatosis from the Hawaiian Islands, 1993-2003. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 2004; In press.

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