Berne Animal Park, 3005 Bern, Switzerland,
The Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health (FIWI), Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2022 Mar;53(1):159-172. doi: 10.1638/2020-0117.
The highly endangered European pond turtle () was reintroduced in Switzerland in 2010. Up until 2019, no routine medical examinations have been carried out prior to its release or during recapture events. The aim of this study was to assess the health status of captive and free-living populations in Switzerland, taking into account the most important and frequently occurring health threats to freshwater turtles. A total of 141 European pond turtles, including captive (n = 89) and free-living (n = 52) individuals, underwent clinical examination (n = 136), choanal and cloacal swab collection for microbiology investigation (n = 140), blood sampling (n = 121), fecal examination for parasitology (n = 92), radiography (n = 84), and ultrasound (n = 46). Microbiology investigation included conventional PCR for herpesvirus, ranavirus, and spp. Blood was used for the establishment of reference values for hematocrit, leukocyte count, and differential blood count as well as for biochemistry parameters tested with the VetScan VS2. An emydid was detected in 40% (n = 56/140; 95%CI: 31.82-48.61%) of the turtles, including one individual with upper respiratory signs. Four animals positive for arrived dead or were euthanized during the study period. Their necropsies revealed no evidence of respiratory disease. No ranavirus or herpesvirus was detected in any of the tested turtles. Two presumptively fatal infections with spirorchiid trematodes were reported during the study period. Endoparasites were detected in only 7.94% of the samples examined. This study provides comprehensive data on the current health status of the largest sample size of captive and free-living populations of ever assessed to date and serves as a baseline for future research investigations and management recommendations in this species.
极度濒危的欧洲池龟()于 2010 年在瑞士重新引入。直到 2019 年,在释放或重新捕获事件之前,都没有进行常规的医学检查。本研究旨在评估瑞士圈养和自由生活种群的健康状况,同时考虑到淡水龟最常见和最重要的健康威胁。共有 141 只欧洲池龟,包括圈养(n=89)和自由生活(n=52)个体,接受了临床检查(n=136)、鼻道和泄殖腔拭子采集用于微生物学调查(n=140)、血液采样(n=121)、粪便寄生虫检查(n=92)、放射照相术(n=84)和超声检查(n=46)。微生物学调查包括疱疹病毒、蛙病毒和 spp 的常规 PCR。血液用于建立红细胞压积、白细胞计数和分类计数以及 VetScan VS2 测试的生化参数的参考值。在 40%(n=56/140;95%CI:31.82-48.61%)的龟中检测到一种 emydid,包括 1 只有上呼吸道症状的个体。在研究期间,有 4 只感染的个体死亡或被安乐死。它们的尸检没有发现呼吸道疾病的证据。在任何测试的龟中都没有检测到蛙病毒或疱疹病毒。在研究期间报告了两例疑似致命的螺旋吸虫感染。仅在检查的样本中检测到 7.94%的内寄生虫。本研究提供了迄今为止评估的最大规模圈养和自由生活种群的当前健康状况的综合数据,并为该物种的未来研究调查和管理建议提供了基线。