Aerobic Bacterial Infections in Captive Juvenile Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) and Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) from Thailand

Abstract

Investigation of the total of 53 juvenile sea turtles (30 green turtles and 23 hawksbill turtles) found signs of several clinical diseases. Ultrastructure and histological observation of these tissues revealed that they were infected with one type of yeast and numerous bacteria. Using aerobic microbiological culture techniques, 10 types of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were identified, which may be responsible for disease and subsequent death of juvenile sea turtles at the conservation center.