The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), a keystone species, is declining throughout its geographic range. Lack of knowledge with respect to the potential infectious diseases present within wild populations creates a dilemma for wildlife biologists, conservationists and public policy makers. The objective of this study was to conduct a health assessment of two previously unstudied gopher tortoise aggregations located at two sites in southeastern FL. Samples were collected from 91 tortoises (48 adults, 35 juveniles, 8 hatchlings) captured at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, in Fort Pierce, FL, USA in 2019, and Loggerhead Park in Juno Beach, FL, USA, during 2018–2019. Samples of blood, nasal swabs and oral/cloacal swabs were analyzed for hematology, plasma protein electrophoretic profiles and infectious disease testing including Mycoplasma spp. serology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for Ranavirus, Herpesvirus and Anaplasma spp. Hematological and plasma protein electrophoresis reference intervals are presented for adult and juvenile tortoises from both sites combined. Clinical signs consistent with upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) were observed in 18/91 (20%) tortoises, and antibodies to Mycoplasma agassizii were detected in 33/77 (42.9%) tortoises. Adult tortoises were significantly more likely than juveniles to have URTD clinical signs, and statistically significant, positive relationships were observed between the presence of antibodies to Mycoplasma spp. and carapace length, packed cell volume and plasma globulin concentrations. Anaplasma spp. inclusions were observed in 8/82 (10%) tortoises, but PCR detected Anaplasma sp. in 21/83 (25%) tortoises. Herpesvirus and Ranavirus were not detected in any blood or swab samples. This work contributes important baseline information on the health of gopher tortoises toward the southern end of the species’ range.

中文翻译：

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美国佛罗里达州东南部地鼠陆龟 (Gopherus polyphemus) 的综合健康评估和血液分析物参考区间

地鼠陆龟（Gopherus polyphemus）是一种关键物种，在其整个地理范围内都在减少。缺乏对野生种群中存在的潜在传染病的了解给野生动物生物学家、保护主义者和公共政策制定者带来了两难境地。本研究的目的是对位于佛罗里达州东南部两个地点的两个以前未研究过的地鼠龟群进行健康评估。样本是从 2019 年在美国佛罗里达州皮尔斯堡的佛罗里达大西洋大学海港分校海洋研究所和 2018 年在美国佛罗里达州朱诺海滩的 Loggerhead 公园捕获的 91 只乌龟（48 只成年、35 只幼龟和 8 只幼龟）中采集的—— 2019 年。对血液样本、鼻拭子和口腔/泄殖腔拭子进行血液学分析，血浆蛋白电泳图谱和传染病检测，包括支原体属。Ranavirus、Herpesvirus 和 Anaplasma spp 的血清学和聚合酶链反应 (PCR) 测定。给出了来自两个地点的成年和幼龟的血液学和血浆蛋白电泳参考区间。在 18/91 (20%) 只陆龟中观察到符合上呼吸道疾病 (URTD) 的临床症状，在 33/77 (42.9%) 只陆龟中检测到阿格氏支原体抗体。与幼龟相比，成年龟明显更有可能出现 URTD 临床症状，并且观察到支原体抗体的存在之间存在统计学上显着的正相关关系。和甲壳长度、堆积细胞体积和血浆球蛋白浓度。无形体属 在 8/82 (10%) 的陆龟中观察到内含物，但 PCR 检测到 Anaplasma sp。在 21/83 (25%) 的乌龟中。在任何血液或拭子样本中均未检测到疱疹病毒和蛙病毒。这项工作为该物种分布范围南端的地鼠龟的健康状况提供了重要的基线信息。