Microbiological diagnosis of sea turtles in the coasts of Baja California Sur, México

Abstract

Currently, five of the seven species of sea turtles inhabit the coasts of Baja California Sur, as it is considered one of the areas with the greatest biodiversity in the world. These reptiles, belonging to the Testudines order, unify a healthy ecosystem providing the perfect balance in the first links of the food web, thanks to their robustness and their high vulnerability to disturbances in the ocean. Being cosmopolitan species and carrying out long migrations, they are exposed to various pathogens, such as bacteria or parasites, which alter their immunologic system, causing their death. This study is based on the assessment of the microbial biota of the oral, cloacal and, in some cases, eye areas, and on the observation of the morphology of the different blood cells. These analyses were carried out by means of a morphological and biochemical classification of the different haematological and bacteriological samples obtained. The collection took place between August and November 2016 and 2017, specifically from Reserva de la Biosfera El Vizcaíno and Golfo de Ulloa. Due to their role in ecology and the scarcity of existing studies on this subject, it would be helpful to focus on microbiological analysis to improve the fluidity of the characterization of the health status of sea turtles. In order to achieve a complete and effective conservation of this type of reptiles on the Pacific Ocean coasts.