SREL Reprint #3429

Survey of aquatic turtles on the Savannah River Site, South Carolina, for prevalence of Ranavirus

Megan E. Winzeler, David L. Haskins, Stacey L. Lance, and Tracey D. Tuberville

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Drawer E, Aiken, South Carolina 29802, USA

Abstract: Ranaviruses have the ability to infect amphibians, fish, and reptiles, and they have caused multiple amphibian die-off events in the US and Europe. Their prevalence in amphibian populations is much more commonly studied than in chelonian populations. We examined blood samples (n=286) from eight aquatic turtle species collected during 2008–14 on the Savannah River Site, South Carolina, US, as part of long-term mark-recapture efforts. Previous studies in the southeastern US found high prevalence of Ranavirus in amphibians, but we did not detect Ranavirus in any of the turtles sampled, suggesting the absence of the virus or its presence at a very low prevalence in aquatic turtles across the Savannah River Site during the years tested.

Keywords: Chelonian, disease, Ranavirus, South Carolina, turtle, wildlife

SREL Reprint #3429

Winzeler, M. E., D. L. Haskins, S. L. Lance, and T. D. Tuberville. 2018. Survey of aquatic turtles on the Savannah River Site, South Carolina, for prevalence of Ranavirus. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 54(1): 138-141.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).