Grant: 23-032R
Project Title: Bacterial Dynamics of Newly Identified Dermatitis in Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) on Florida's Gulf Coast
Project Manager: Jake Lasala
Organization: Mote Marine Laboratory (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $11,701.20
Completion Date: 2024-06-05
Summary: In 2019, a bacterial dermatitis not previously reported in wild turtles was identified on the carapace of 42% of examined nesting green turtles (Chelonia mydas) on Casey Key, Florida. An examination of 73 individuals through 2022 found an incidence rate of 31%-82%. Of 21 green turtles observed in multiple years, nine continued to exhibit the condition, nine remained void of the condition and three acquired the condition. We will conduct a thorough investigation into green turtle bacterial dermatitis to identify potential causative agents using high throughput sequencing technologies and continue photographic monitoring of nesting green turtles for prevalence, progression, and resolution of the condition; including the affected individuals identified in the 2019 through 2022 studies.
Results: At the end of the 6-month report, all samples had been collected for the 2023 nesting season. We collected 45 samples from 24 individuals. All but three had dermatitis on their carapaces. All samples from 2021 and 2023 have been catalogued and sequenced. The project has effectively been completed. Identification of bacteria and resulting statistics are in process and will be completed as soon as possible. Here are some of our observational results: Over the course of the study we have seen turtles across multiple years. One turtle had been diagnosed with dermatitis in 2021 and was seen in 2023 without evidence of the bacteria. One turtle was seen both years without dermatitis and four turtles have been seen with dermatitis both years. We plan on continuing to sample the turtles in the future and we hope to target repeat turtles to assess if the bacterial community changes over time and if the turtle heals, what the community looks like then. Kristen Mazzarella and Dr. Lasala have presented some of our findings at conferences, including the Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Meeting in 2023 and multiple Mote sponsored speaking engagements to the public.