CHARACTERIZATION OF FIBROPAPILLOMA-ASSOCIATED TURTLE HERPESVIRUS IN GREEN TURTLES FROM BRAZIL

Abstract

The fibropapillomatosis is an emerging disease with high prevalence in turtles and characterized by multiple papillomas, fibromas and fibropapillomas in the skin or viscera. This disease is called "green turtle fibropapillomatosis” (GTFP) because it was first recorded in green turtles. In the Brazil, the first record of GTFP was in 1986 in the state of Espírito Santo (ES), and during the period of 2000-2004, 14.96% of the 4471 green turtles examined had tumors. The etiologic agent of GTFP is still uncertain, but the patterns of disease spread during outbreaks among captive green turtles have shown a pattern of infectious etiology.