Sea Turtles with Herpes. OH NO !

Introduction

Sea turtles win the hearts of many people across the world. They are also one of the oldest reptiles to roam the earth as they have been here for millions of years. They are characterized by their hard shells, tiny eyes, a small head, two front fins, two back fins and a tail that always extend from their shell. They also vary in color depending on the type of sea turtle. Some may be yellow, green, or even black.

Body

Since the 1980’s these beautiful sea turtles have been found with large tumors covering their bodies. When tested scientist also found that a herpesvirus was being detected. They begin to question if herpevirus would always be seen in sea turtles with herpes. With an educated guess they said they they believed they would see a relationship between tumor growth and herpesvirus. So they begin to catch these turtles and study them.

Conclusion

The scientist found that their educated guess was correct. Every turtle they found with tumors also had herpesvirus. While no turtle without tumors had the virus. They also found that when they tried to remove a tumor somethings they would grow back very quickly and more tumors would appear then before their removal. They are still doing research to determine a more official reason behind this disease but for now they believe this to partially be a result of pollution in the water. So please dispose of your trash the correct way!

Reference

Lackovich, J., Brown, D., Homer, B., Garber, R., Mader, D., Moretti, R., . . . Klein, P. (1999). Association of herpesvirus with fibropapillomatosis of the green turtle Chelonia mydas and the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta in Florida. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms,37, 89-97. doi:10.3354/dao037089