Project Update
Of 20 samples tested, 3 showed PCR amplification consistent with Alphaherpesvirus. However, sequencing results revealed Bacteroidales bacterium, MAG Haliceaceae, and MAG Gammaproteobacteria. These findings suggest that Alphaherpesvirus may not be present in this sample of diamondback terrapins.
These findings provide an initial framework for disease surveillance in diamondback terrapins and help us better understand the diverse threats to our marine turtles, specifically vulnerable populations. This study also highlights the value of sample archiving for reliable analysis of infectious diseases years after sample collection.
Still Investigating
Further investigation is warranted to determine why bacterial gene regions may amplify in degenerate herpesvirus DNA polymerase PCR assays and how this may affect the detection of infectious diseases during algal bloom events. Future investigation of Mycoplasma and other bacterial or parasitic agents in future diagnostic panels could improve understanding of multifactorial morbidity events.
Project Background
CWHL undergraduate researcher Dante Napoletano is revisiting archival samples from a 2015 die-off of diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) associated with saxitoxin. During the original diagnostic investigation of the die-off, preliminary evidence of herpesvirus was found in a handful of tested animals. Now, he is working to clarify whether these samples truly have herpesvirus and characterize the specific virus if it is found. While herpesvirus would be a secondary finding to the primary toxicant cause of the die-off, this work can help us better understand the diverse threats to our marine turtle populations.
