title: Geographic variation in marine turtle fibropapillomatosis.
abstract: We document three examples of fibropapillomatosis by histology, quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and sequence analysis from three different geographic areas. Tumors compatible in morphology with fibropapillomatosis were seen in green turtles from Puerto Rico and San Diego (California) and in a hybrid loggerhead/ hawksbill turtle from Florida Bay (Florida). Tumors were confirmed as fibropapillomas on histology, although severity of disease varied between cases. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses revealed infection with the fibropapilloma-associated turtle herpesvirus (FPTHV) in all cases, albeit at highly variable copy numbers per cell. Alignment of a portion of the polymerase gene from each fibropapilloma-associated turtle herpesvirus isolate demonstrated geographic variation in sequence. These cases illustrate geographic variation in both the pathology and the virology of fibropapillomatosis.
authors.affiliation: Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Greenblatt
authors.forename: Thierry M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Work
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dutton
authors.forename: Claudia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.forename: Terry R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Spraker
authors.forename: Rufina N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: Carlos E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Diez
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: St Leger
authors.forename: George H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Balazs
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Casey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005350:Fibroma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005843:Geography; D006564:Herpesviridae; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014426:Turtles