Literaturdatenbank
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Gonyor McGuire, J. L., Smith, L. L., & Yabsley, M. J. , Gopher tortoise (gopherus polyphemus) conservation in a changing landscape: Evaluating population health - abstract. Unpublished paper presented at Program and Abstracts of the Tenth Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles.
Added by: Admin (06 Jan 2014 18:22:50 UTC) |
| Resource type: Conference Paper BibTeX citation key: GonyorMcGuire2012 View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Bakterien - bacteria, Einzeller - protozoa, Gopherus agassizii, Gopherus polyphemus, Habitat - habitat, Nordamerika - North America, Schildkröten - turtles + tortoises, Testudinidae, Veterinärmedizin - veterinary medicine, Viren - viruses Creators: Gonyor McGuire, Smith, Yabsley Collection: Program and Abstracts of the Tenth Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles |
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| Abstract |
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Testudinidae Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) populations have been experiencing precipitous declines throughout their range. In 2011 Gopher Tortoise populations in the eastern part of the range (Alabama Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina) became candidates species for listing under the endangered species act (ESA). Populations in the western part of the range (Louisiana, Mississippi, and the western portion of Alabama) were already listed as threatened. Threats responsible for the tortoise decline include habitat loss, upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) in the Gopher Tortoise can be caused by a number of pathogens including Mycoplasma agassizii, M. testudineum, Ranaviruses and herpesvirus. Limited work on URTD has been conducted in Georgia; therefore we examined Gopher Tortoises for antibodies to Mycoplasma spp. Mycoplasma is highly contagious and has been implicated in reduction of tortoise populations. Between 1995 and 2011, blood samples were collected from 568 tortoises at twelve sites across Georgia representing eight counties. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine exposure of tortoises to M. agassizii at all sites. Testing for M. testudinium was conducted at two sites. Exposure to M. agassizii varied widely among eight sites (1-100%). Six sites had a very high prevalence of M. agassizii (91-100%), whereas two sites had a low prevalence (1-3%). Mycoplasma testudinium (13% prevalence) was found in one of the two populations tested. Clinical signs of URTD were observed at two sites and chronic lesions, evidence of recurring clinical disease, were observed at five. Interestingly, prevalence was generally very high or very low/absent which suggests Mycoplasma has been present in some locations for a long period of time. Mycoplasma infections usually are chronic with periods of recrudescence of clinical signs. The cause of these relapses is unknown, but stress or co-infection with other pathogens could lead to disease (additional testing for other pathogens is underway). Several sites with high prevalence of M. agassizii may have a history of translocation of waif tortoises. The sites also vary in land use and management history. Collectively these data indicate that acute and chronic URTD and Mycoplasma spp. are present in several tortoise populations in Georgia. The data should be useful in decisions regarding Gopher Tortoise management.
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