Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Baseline blood values for healthy free-ranging green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Puerto Rico

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Comparative Clinical Pathology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In Puerto Rico, green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) appear to congregate in certain areas that constitute neritic developmental habitats for juvenile green turtles and foraging habitats for migrating larger immature and adult green turtles. The objective of this study was to establish baseline blood health indices in free-ranging green sea turtles occupying such habitats in Puerto Rico. We analyzed packed cell volume, morphometrics, and plasma biochemistry and protein electrophoresis parameters for free-ranging green sea turtles in the Culebra archipelago of Puerto Rico. The general health of turtles included in this study was rated as good based on body condition, physical examination, and molecular diagnostics. We report packed cell volume, plasma biochemistry, and protein electrophoresis reference interval values for juvenile and subadult green sea turtles. Development of site-specific baseline blood health parameters for wild, healthy sea turtle populations is an important factor in creating effective management protocols and enhances our ability to understand the effects of anthropogenic and environmental changes on sea turtle health.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aguirre AA, Balazs GH (2000) Blood biochemistry values in green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, with and without fibropapillomatosis. Comp Haemotol Int 10:132–137

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Arthur KE, Boyle MC, Limpus CJ (2008) Ontogenetic changes in green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) foraging behaviour as demonstrated by δ13C and δ15N stable isotope analysis. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 362:303–311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benedict AA, Pollard LW (1972) Three classes of immunoglobulins found in the sea turtle, Chelonia mydas. Folia Microbiol 17:75–78

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bjorndal KA, Bolten AB, Chaloupka MY (2000) Green turtle somatic growth model: evidence for density-dependence. Ecol Appl 10:269–282

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolten AB, Bjorndal KA (1992) Blood profiles for a wild population of green turtles (Cheloniamydas) in the southern Bahamas: size-specific and sex-specific relationships. J Wildl Dis 28:407–413

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell T (2012) Clinical chemistry of reptiles. In: Thrall MA, Weiser G, Allison RW, Campbell TW (eds) Veterinary hematology and clinical chemistry. Wiley, Ames, pp 599–606

    Google Scholar 

  • Cray C (1997) Plasma protein electrophoresis: an update. Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Association of Avian Veterinarians 1997:209-212

  • Cray C, Tatum LM (1998) Applications of protein electrophoresis in avian diagnostics. J Avian Med Surg 12:4–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Deem SL, Dierenfeld ES, Sounguet GP, Rick Alleman AR, Cray C, Poppenga RH, Norton TM, Karesh WB (2006) Blood values in free-ranging nesting leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) on the coast of the republic of Gabon. J Zoo Wildl Med 37:464–471

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deem SL, Norton TM, Mitchell M, Segars A, Alleman AR, Cray C, Poppenga RH, Dodd M, Karesh WB (2009) Comparison of blood values in foraging, nesting, and stranded loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) along the coast of Georgia, USA. J Wildl Dis 45:41–56

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diez CE, van Dam RP, Velez-Zuazo X, Torres F, Scharer M, Molina M (2010) Dean K, Lopez- Castro MC. In: Proceedings of the 28th annual symposium on sea turtle biology and conservation. NOAA Tech Memo NOAA NMFS-SEFSC. US Department of Commerce, Miami, p 272

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon WJ (1983) Processing data for outliers. Biometrics 9:74–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans EW, Duncan JR (2003) Proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. In: Latimer KS, Mahaffey EA, Prasse KW (eds) Duncan & Prasse’s Veterinary Laboratory Medicine Clinical Pathology, 4th edn. Blackwell Publishing Professional, Ames, pp 162–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Flint M, Morton JM, Limpus CJ, Patterson-Kane JC, Murray PJ, Mills PC (2010) Development and application of biochemical and haematological reference intervals to identify unhealthy green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). The Vet J 185:299–304

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedrichs KR, Harr KE, Freeman KP, Szladovits B, Walton RM, Barnhart KF, Blanco-Chavez J (2012) American College of Veterinary Pathology reference interval guidelines: determination of de novo reference intervals in veterinary species and other related topics. Vet Clin Pathol 41:441–453

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garnett ST, Price IR, Scott FJ (1985) The diet of the green turtle, Chelonia mydas (L.), in Torres Strait. Austral Wildl Res 12:103–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gicking JC, Foley AM, Harr KE, Raskin RE, Jacobson E (2004) Plasma protein electrophoresis of the Atlantic loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta. J Herpetol Med Surg 14:13–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamann M, Schäuble CS, Simon T, Evans S (2006) Demographic and health parameters of green sea turtles Chelonia mydas foraging in Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Endang Sp Res 2:81–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hasbun CR, Lawrence AJ, Naldo J, Samour JH, Al-Ghais SM (1998) Normal blood chemistry of free-living green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas, from the United Arab Emirates. Comp Haematol Int 8:174–177

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Herbst LH, Jacobson ER (2003) Practical approaches for studying sea turtle health and disease. In: Lutz P, Musick JA, Wyneken J (eds) The Biology of Sea Turtles, Vol II. CRC Press, New York, pp 385–410

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson ER, Bjorndal K, Bolten A, Herren R, Harman G, Wood L (2008) Establishing plasma biochemical and hematocrit reference intervals for sea turtles in Florida, http://accstr.ufl.edu/resources/blood-chemistry-data/, Accessed September 2013

  • Kaneko JJ (1997) Serum proteins and the dysproteinemias. In: Kaneko JJ, Harvey JW, Bruss ML (eds) Clinical Biochemistry of Domestic Animals, 5th edn. Academic Press Inc., San Diego, pp 117–138

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Masquera S, Masegu J, Planos J (1976) Blood proteins in turtles (Testudo hermanni, Emys orbicularis, Caretta caretta). Comp Biochem Physiol 55:225–230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mortimer JA (1982) Feeding ecology of sea turtles. In: Bjorndal KA (ed) Biology and conservation of sea turtles. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, p 103

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborne AG, Jacobson ER, Bresette MJ, Singewald DA, Scarpino RA, Bolten AB (2010) Reference intervals and relationships between health status, carapace length, body mass, and water temperature and concentrations of plasma total protein and protein electrophoretogram fractions in Atlantic loggerhead sea turtles and green turtles. J Am Vet Med Assoc 237(5):561–561

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Owens DW, Ruiz GJ (1980) New methods of obtaining blood and cerebrospinal fluid from marine turtles. Herpetol 36:17–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Page-Karjian A, Torres F, Zhang J, Diez C, Moore PA, Moore D, Brown C (2012) Presence of chelonid fibropapilloma-associated herpesvirus in tumored and non-tumored green turtles, as detected by polymerase chain reaction, in endemic and non-endemic populations, Puerto Rico. Springer Plus 1:35. doi:10.1186/2193-1801-1-35

  • Patrício AR, Velez-Zuazo X, Diez CE, Van Dam R, Sabat AM (2011) Survival probability of immature green turtles in two foraging grounds at Culebra, Puerto Rico. Mar Progr Ecol Ser 440:217–227

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patrício AR, Diez CE, van Dam RP (2014) Spatial and temporal variability of immature green turtle abundance and somatic growth in Puerto Rico. Endanger Species Res 23:49–60

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrault JR, Wyneken J, Page-Karjian A, Merrill A, Miller DL (2014) Seasonal trends in nesting leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) serum proteins further verify capital breeding hypothesis. Conserv Physiol 2:doi:10.1093/conphys/cou002

  • Reed AH, Henry RJ, Mason WB (1971) Influence of statistical method used on the resulting estimate or normal range. Clin Chem 17:275–284

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seminoff JA, U.S. Southwest Fisheries Science Center(2004) Chelonia mydas. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, v.2013.1, www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed September 2013

  • Sibley CG, Johnsgard PA (1959) Variability in the electrophoretic patterns of avian serum proteins. Condor 61:85–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Velez-Zuazo X, Diez CE, van Dam RP, Torres-Velez F (2010) Genetic structure and origin of a juvenile aggregation affected by fibropapillomatosis: potential impact on adult recruitment. In: Dean K, Lopez- Castro MC (eds) Proceedings of the 28th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation.NOAA Tech Memo NOAA NMFS-SEFSC. US Department of Commerce, Miami, p 272

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallace BP, DiMatteo AD, Hurley BJ, Finkbeiner EM, Bolten AB, Chaloupka MY, Hutchinson BJ, Abreu-Grobois FA, Amorocho D, Bjorndal KA, Bourjea J, Bowen BW, Duenas RB, Casale P, Choudhury BC, Costa A, Dutton PH, Fallabrino A, Girard A, Girondot M, Godfrey MH, Hamann M, Lopez-Mendilaharsu M, Marcovaldi MA, Mortimer JA, Musick JA, Nei R, Pilcher NJ, Seminoff JA, Troeng S, Witherington B, Mast RB (2010) Regional management units for marine turtles: a novel framework for prioritizing conservation and research across multiple scales. PLoS ONE 5:e15465

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Walton RM (2001) Establishing reference intervals: health as a relative concept. Semin Avian Exotic Pet Med 10:66–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whiting SD, Guinea MI, Limpus CJ, Formiatti K (2007) Blood chemistry reference values for two ecologically distinct populations of foraging green turtles, eastern Indian Ocean. Comp Clin Pathol 16:109–118

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Work TM, Balazs GH (1999) Relating tumour score to haematology in green turtles with fibropapillomatosis in Hawaii. J Wildl Dis 35:804–807

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zais J, Cray C (2002) Protein electrophoresis: a tool for the reptilian and amphibian practitioner. J Herpetol Med Surg 12:30–32

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the Morris Animal Foundation for funding, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. for donating the laboratory analyses, and Dr. Paula Krimer for excellent advice on data interpretation and manuscript preparation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 501 D.W. Brooks Drive, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Annie Page-Karjian & Corrie Brown

  2. Zoo Atlanta, 800 Cherokee Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA, 30315, USA

    Samuel Rivera

  3. Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, USDA-APHIS, Plum Island, Greenport, NY, 11944, USA

    Fernando Torres

  4. Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, San Juan, 00906-6600, Puerto Rico

    Carlos Diez

  5. Caribbean Center of Marine Studies, Lajas, 00667-0585, Puerto Rico

    Debra Moore

  6. Chelonia Inc., San Juan, 00902-0708, Puerto Rico

    Robert Van Dam

Authors
  1. Annie Page-Karjian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Samuel Rivera
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Fernando Torres
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Carlos Diez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Debra Moore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Robert Van Dam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Corrie Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Annie Page-Karjian.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Page-Karjian, A., Rivera, S., Torres, F. et al. Baseline blood values for healthy free-ranging green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Puerto Rico. Comp Clin Pathol 24, 567–573 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-014-1947-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00580-014-1947-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation