Marchiori Erica, Gustinelli Andrea, Vignali Viola, Segati Sara, D'Acunto Simone, Brandi Silvia, Crespo-Picazo José Luìs, Marcer Federica
Dipartimento di Medicina Animale, Produzioni e Salute, Università di Padova, viale dell'Università 16, 35020 Legnaro, PD, Italy.
Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Veterinarie, Università di Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano dell'Emilia, BO, Italy.
Vet Sci. 2023 Jul 1;10(7):427. doi: 10.3390/vetsci10070427.
(Copepoda: Harpaticoida) is one of the few components of the epibiontic fauna of that show a "true" parasitic association with their host. From rrosive to ulcerative cutaneous lesions may seldom appear as a consequence of the copepod feeding on keratin on turtles' skin. Debilitating Turtle Syndrome (DTS) is the final outcome of a chronic insufficient assumption of nutrients, generally occurring with the impairment of immune functions and high epibiota burdens. In this survey, the presence of in from the Northwestern Adriatic Sea was investigated and the relation between infection indices and the co-occurrence of DTS was studied. Clinical examination was performed at the time of rescue, including routine hematological assessment; external parasites were isolated mechanically from turtles' skin and morphologically identified through observation with an optic microscope and SEM. Ten turtles were classified as affected by DTS, all of them being small juveniles with typical clinical and clinicopathological presentation. A higher prevalence, abundance, and density of infection were found in turtles affected by the syndrome. The presence of massive skin coverage by the burrowing barnacle prevented a proper evaluation of the pathology associated with in turtles affected by DTS. In any event, eventual skin damages caused by the parasite may represent a port of entry for secondary infections in such immunocompromised animals. Therefore, infection by should not go overlooked in debilitated turtles and should be opportunely treated.
（桡足类：猛水蚤目）是少数与宿主呈现“真正”寄生关系的体表动物群组成部分之一。桡足类以海龟皮肤角质为食，可能很少导致从糜烂性到溃疡性的皮肤损伤。衰弱海龟综合征（DTS）是长期营养摄入不足的最终结果，通常伴随着免疫功能受损和体表生物负荷过高而出现。在本次调查中，研究了亚得里亚海西北部海龟体内[具体物种未明确写出]的存在情况，并研究了感染指数与DTS并发之间的关系。在救援时进行了临床检查，包括常规血液学评估；通过机械方法从海龟皮肤分离外部寄生虫，并通过光学显微镜和扫描电子显微镜观察进行形态学鉴定。十只海龟被归类为受DTS影响，它们均为具有典型临床和临床病理表现的小幼龟。在受该综合征影响的海龟中发现了更高的感染患病率、丰度和密度。穴居藤壶[具体物种未明确写出]大量覆盖皮肤，妨碍了对受DTS影响的海龟中与[具体物种未明确写出]相关病理的恰当评估。无论如何，寄生虫最终造成的皮肤损伤可能成为这类免疫功能低下动物继发感染的入口。因此，衰弱海龟中[具体物种未明确写出]的感染不应被忽视，应及时进行治疗。
