查看文章

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 …