First multicenter coprological survey on helminth parasite communities of free-living loggerhead sea turtles (Linnaeus, 1758) from the Adriatic Sea and Northern Ionian Sea.

The prevalence of endoparasite infections in 83 free-living specimens of , classified as vulnerable species, from the Adriatic Sea and Northern Ionian Sea was investigated by coprological examination. Thirty-seven (44.6%) turtles were found to be infected with helminths. The helminth infections found were: and (18.1% each), (13.2%), (9.6%), (7.2%), / sp. (3.6%), sp., and (1.2% each). There were no significant differences in the total prevalence of helminth infections between sexes, size classes, and seasonal periods. Conversely, the prevalence of helminth infections was significantly higher (P < 0.01) in accidentally caught turtles than in stranded turtles. Highly significant differences in prevalence of helminthiases were also seen among marine sampling areas. This report provides important baseline information about the helminth fauna of free-living in the examined geographical region. This is also the first report of infection in thus broadening the host range of the parasite.