Parasites of marine turtles

Abstract

The parasite fauna of marine turtles is varied and diverse. It includes helminths, protozoa, arthropods, and annelids. The amazing thing is that some of these marine turtles migrate great distances through the oceans and yet they must reside in waters that allow them to be infected by microscopic infective stages at some point in their journeys. These parasites are evidently well adapted to their reptilian hosts as some are very common parasites and others are more rarely detected. The parasites have been associated with these turtles for a very long time as many organs of the turtles harbor parasites. Marine turtles are usually the final or definitive host of the parasites, but sometimes they serve as a source of infection to other vertebrates that prey upon them. Due to the intended shortness of this chapter, focus will be on the parasites in the marine turtles in Florida waters as work on these turtles has been done in my former laboratory over the past 25 years. There is a wealth of information on parasites of marine turtles, but much of it is based on examinations of one or few turtles. My research reflects taking advantage of turtles that have died in Florida. Carcasses were submitted to my laboratory through cooperation with turtle rehabilitation facilities and state and federal turtle biologists. This work was done through federal permits held by Dr. Elliott R. Jacobson.