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Humoral Immune Responses to Select Marine Bacteria in Loggerhead Sea Turtles Caretta caretta and Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles Lepidochelys kempii from the Southeastern United States
Author(s) -
Rodgers Maria L.,
Toline Catherine A.,
Rice Charles D.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of aquatic animal health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.507
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1548-8667
pISSN - 0899-7659
DOI - 10.1002/aah.10012
Subject(s) - biology , vibrio anguillarum , vibrio vulnificus , antibody , zoology , microbiology and biotechnology , fishery , bacteria , vibrio , immunology , genetics
Serum from Kemp's ridley sea turtles Lepidochelys kempii and loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta was collected during summer in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Serum immunoglobulin Y (IgY) recognition of lysate proteins from nine bacterial species and whole bacterium‐specific IgY titers to these pathogens were quantified. Serum and purified IgY recognized proteins of all bacteria, with protein recognition for some species being more pronounced than others. Circulating IgY titers against Vibrio vulnificus , V. anguillarum , Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae , and Brevundimonas vesicularis changed over the years in Kemp's ridley sea turtles, while IgY titers against V. vulnificus , Escherichia coli , V. parahaemolyticus , B. vesicularis , and Mycobacterium marinum were different in loggerhead sea turtles. Serum lysozyme activity was constant for loggerhead sea turtles over the 3 years, while activity in Kemp's ridley sea turtles was lower in 2011 and 2012 than in 2013. Blood packed cell volume, glucose, and serum protein levels were comparable to those of healthy sea turtles in previous studies; therefore, this study provides baseline information on antibody responses in healthy wild sea turtles.