Publications

marine leech ozobranchus margoi parasitizing loggerhead turtle (caretta caretta) in rio grande do sul, brazil.	this paper reports the finding of several ozobranchus margoi (annelida: hirudinea) parasitizing a loggerhead turtle (caretta caretta) that was found in the municipality of tavares, state of rio grande do sul, southern brazil. since this parasite is considered to be a vector of chelonid herpesvirus 5 (chhv-5), the leeches collected were tested for the presence of this virus. all the specimens were negative on pcr analysis. although o. margoi is considered to be a common sea turtle parasite, this ...	2012	23070445
the genome of chelonid herpesvirus 5 harbors atypical genes.	the chelonid fibropapilloma-associated herpesvirus (cfphv; chhv5) is believed to be the causative agent of fibropapillomatosis (fp), a neoplastic disease of marine turtles. while clinical signs and pathology of fp are well known, research on chhv5 has been impeded because no cell culture system for its propagation exists. we have cloned a bac containing chhv5 in ptarbac2.1 and determined its nucleotide sequence. accordingly, chhv5 has a type d genome and its predominant gene order is typical for ...	2012	23056373
fibropapillomatosis in green turtles chelonia mydas in brazil: characteristics of tumors and virus.	fibropapillomatosis (fp) is a benign neoplasia that affects physiological functions of sea turtles and may lead to death. high prevalence of fp in sea turtle populations has prompted several research groups to study the disease and the associated herpesvirus, chelonid herpesvirus 5 (chhv5). the present study detected and quantified chhv5 in 153 fibropapilloma samples collected from green turtles chelonia mydas on the brazilian coast between 2009 and 2010 to characterize the relationship between ...	2014	25320033
dynamics of virus shedding and in situ confirmation of chelonid herpesvirus 5 in hawaiian green turtles with fibropapillomatosis.	cancers in humans and animals can be caused by viruses, but virus-induced tumors are considered to be poor sites for replication of intact virions (lytic replication). fibropapillomatosis (fp) is a neoplastic disease associated with a herpesvirus, chelonid herpesvirus 5 (chhv5), that affects green turtles globally. chhv5 probably replicates in epidermal cells of tumors, because epidermal intranuclear inclusions (eiis) contain herpesvirus-like particles. however, although eiis are a sign of herpe ...	2015	25445320
coinfection with a novel fibropapilloma-associated herpesvirus and a novel spirorchis sp. in an eastern box turtle (terrapene carolina) in florida.	herpesviruses are important pathogens of chelonians, and include chelonid herpesvirus 5, which is associated with fibropapillomatosis in sea turtles. spirorchid trematodes are blood flukes that reside within the cardiovascular system of marine turtles and may be associated with severe disease. an eastern box turtle (terrapene carolina) at the south florida wildlife care center (fort lauderdale, florida) was presented to the facility with papillomatous growths behind both rear legs. surgical remo ...	2015	26077547
a genomic approach to unravel host-pathogen interaction in chelonians: the example of testudinid herpesvirus 3.	we report the first de novo sequence assembly and analysis of the genome of testudinid herpesvirus 3 (tehv3), one of the most pathogenic chelonian herpesviruses. the genome of tehv3 is at least 150,080 nucleotides long, is arranged in a type d configuration and comprises at least 102 open reading frames extensively co-linear with those of human herpesvirus 1. consistently, the phylogenetic analysis positions tehv3 among the alphaherpesvirinae, closely associated with chelonid herpesvirus 5, a sc ...	2015	26244892
chelonid herpesvirus 5 in secretions and tumor tissues from green turtles (chelonia mydas) from southeastern brazil: a ten-year study.	fibropapillomatosis (fp), a neoplastic disease characterized by the formation of multiple tumors affecting different species of sea turtles and, most often, the green turtle (chelonia mydas), is considered one of the major threats to the survival of this species. recent studies indicate that chelonid herpesvirus (chhv5) is the etiological agent of this disease, though its association with anthropogenically altered environments and the immune status of these animals also appears to contribute to ...	2016	27016769
a review of fibropapillomatosis in green turtles (chelonia mydas).	despite being identified in 1938, many aspects of the pathogenesis and epidemiology of fibropapillomatosis (fp) in marine turtles are yet to be fully uncovered. current knowledge suggests that fp is an emerging infectious disease, with the prevalence varying both spatially and temporally, even between localities in close proximity to each other. a high prevalence of fp in marine turtles has been correlated with residency in areas of reduced water quality, indicating that there is an environmenta ...	2016	27256025
further evidence of chelonid herpesvirus 5 (chhv5) latency: high levels of chhv5 dna detected in clinically healthy marine turtles.	the chelonid herpesvirus 5 (chhv5) has been consistently associated with fibropapillomatosis (fp), a transmissible neoplastic disease of marine turtles. whether chhv5 plays a causal role remains debated, partly because while fp tumours have been clearly documented to contain high concentrations of chhv5 dna, recent pcr-based studies have demonstrated that large proportions of asymptomatic marine turtles are also carriers of chhv5. we used a real-time pcr assay to quantify the levels of chhv5 gly ...	2016	27547576