Veterinary-Marine Animal Research, Teaching and Investigation Unit, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, QLD 4343, Australia; Ecosystem Health Unit, Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, 1920 Coffey Rd, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 104-106, 3584 CM Utrecht, the Netherlands; Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, 39 Kessels Road, Queensland 4108, Australia.
Sci Total Environ. 2019 Apr 10;660:586-592. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.065. Epub 2019 Jan 7.
Between 2014 and 2017, the Rivers to Reef to Turtles (RRT) project examined the health of green turtles at two coastal sites impacted by urban and agricultural human activities (Cleveland and Upstart Bays) and one proposed pristine site (Howick Group of Reefs) in northern Queensland, Australia, through blood biochemistry and haematology, plasma protein electrophoresis, and clinical assessments including body condition and barnacle counts. Furthermore, cases of mortality were subjected to comprehensive postmortem examination. In an attempt to advance diagnostics, associations between specific contaminants and health of turtles in this region were tested. No comprehensive health assessments had been conducted at these sites prior to this study. The coastal Cleveland and Upstart Bays both demonstrated effects likely to be in response to stressors suspected to be anthropogenic in origin (elevated total white cell counts and creatinine kinase levels across the populations, respectively). This was associated with a suite of trace elements, in particular cobalt. While these indicators of stress resolved by the final year of the study, a chronic stressor was suspected to be persisting with ongoing low albumin: globulin. Necropsies did not elucidate any specific diseases. Although body condition index did not closely correlate with site health, barnacle counts in juvenile turtles may prove a reliable indicator of site health. Based on previously established indicators of poor health, barnacle counts showed that 10% of the population was in poor health at Upstart Bay and nearly 20% of the population at Cleveland Bay. This is above what would be expected for a normal population. Overall, the health component of this study suggested that the pristine turtle population was healthy and the coastal turtle populations were under active stressors, possibly caused by anthropogenic effectors such as chemical pollutants, when initially examined in 2014. These stressors resolved by the conclusion of the study in 2017; but chronic stressors remained absent in the pristine site and present within each of the studied coastal populations.
2014 年至 2017 年期间，河流到珊瑚礁到海龟（RRT）项目通过血液生化和血液学、血浆蛋白电泳以及临床评估（包括身体状况和藤壶计数），检查了澳大利亚昆士兰州北部两个受城市和农业人类活动影响的沿海地点（克利夫兰湾和厄普斯泰特湾）和一个拟议的原始地点（豪伊克珊瑚礁群）的绿海龟健康状况。此外，对死亡病例进行了全面的尸检。为了推进诊断，测试了该地区特定污染物与海龟健康之间的关联。在这项研究之前，这些地点都没有进行全面的健康评估。克利夫兰湾和厄普斯泰特湾这两个沿海地区都表现出了可能是对怀疑是人为起源的压力源的反应（分别是整个种群的总白细胞计数和肌酸激酶水平升高）。这与一系列微量元素有关，特别是钴。虽然这些压力指标在研究的最后一年得到了解决，但怀疑持续存在的慢性压力源是白蛋白：球蛋白持续偏低。尸检没有阐明任何具体疾病。尽管身体状况指数与地点健康状况没有密切相关，但幼龟的藤壶计数可能证明是地点健康状况的可靠指标。根据以前建立的健康不良指标，藤壶计数表明，厄普斯泰特湾有 10%的海龟健康状况不佳，克利夫兰湾有近 20%的海龟健康状况不佳。这高于正常种群的预期。总的来说，这项研究的健康部分表明，原始海龟种群健康状况良好，而沿海海龟种群受到人为影响因素（如化学污染物）的积极压力，2014 年初进行检查时就是如此。这些压力源在 2017 年研究结束时得到解决；但在原始地点仍未出现慢性压力源，而在每个研究的沿海种群中都存在慢性压力源。
