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 is the first official record describing collection of this parasite from a loggerhead turtle in southern Brazil, within the country's subtropical zone. This finding draws attention to the presence of this parasite and to the risk of leech-borne infectious diseases among turtles found along the coast of southern Brazil.
Laboratório de Virologia, Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. carlarodenbusch@yahoo.com.br
Carla Rosane
CR
Rodenbusch
Fernanda Simone
FS
Marks
Cláudio Wageck
CW
Canal
José
J
Reck
D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil; D007865:Leeches / Q000502:physiology*; D014426:Turtles / Q000469:parasitology*