Corneal Fibropapilloma in Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) in Mediterranean Sea
2025
Özgür Kanat | Veysel Soydal Ataseven | Pınar Karabağlı
ABSTRACT Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a panzootic and neoplastic disease. In the current study, we aimed to characterize a tumour‐like mass and reveal spirorchid‐like parasitic eggs in the ocular tissues of Caretta caretta turtles. In this study, seven ocular tissue samples, including six eye/eyelid tissues taken from Loggerhead turtles (C. caretta) with healthy‐looking animals and one tumour‐like ocular mass obtained from a C. caretta turtle with a clinical lesion, were used as study material. Unilateral spirorchid‐like parasite eggs were detected in the tissue samples of only two healthy‐looking animals. The characterization and identification of a tumour‐like mass were performed using histopathology, PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Unilateral corneal scarring, spirorchid‐like parasite eggs and papilloma virus by PCR were detected in the ocular tumour‐like mass evaluated as fibropapilloma. However, in immunohistochemical staining, Ki‐67, p16, pan‐cytokeratin, vimentin and herpesvirus showed positive staining, whereas p53 showed negative staining. Koilocytosis was observed in some cells. Our findings indicate that papillomavirus, herpesvirus and spirorchid‐like parasite eggs may have a predisposing role in the occurrence of FP. This study provides the first research data on spirorchid‐like parasite eggs and FP in loggerhead turtles (C. caretta) in the Mediterranean Sea in Türkiye.
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