Post-mortem investigations on a leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea stranded along the Northern Adriatic coastline

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

Federica Marcer¹  Giorgia Dotto¹  Daniela Pasotto¹  Sandro Mazzariol¹  Dino Scaravelli¹  Lisa Poppi¹  Annalisa Zaccaroni¹ 

关键词: Leatherback turtle;    Photobacterium damselae ssp.;   

DOI  :  10.3354/dao02479

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Inter-Research

【 摘 要 】

ABSTRACT: Leatherback sea turtles Dermochelys coriacea are regularly reported in the Mediterranean Sea but rarely reach the northern Adriatic Sea. In the summer of 2009, a well-preserved carcass of an adult female of this species was found dead along the coast of Lido di Venezia. A complete necropsy was carried out, along with evaluation of levels of tissue trace elements. The the post-mortem revealed acute severe bacterial gastroenteritis caused by Photobacterium damselae ssp. piscicida, an opportunistic agent that infected an apparently debilitated animal weakened by ingested plastic debris. High levels of heavy metals (Hg, Pb, Cd and As) found in the liver and kidneys might have contributed to the animal’s demise. These findings support previous indications that marine debris is one of the major threats to marine animals, particularly for critically endangered species such as the leatherback turtle.

【 授权许可】

Unknown