Marine leech parasitism of sea turtles varies across host species, seasons, and the tumor disease fibropapillomatosis
Vector-host study published in Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (2021)
Abstract
Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a tumorous disease affecting all species of sea turtles and is associated with the pathogen chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5). Hypothesized ChHV5 vectors include the marine leeches Ozobranchus branchiatus and O. margoi, but data on their associations with FP and ChHV5 are minimal. To establish relationships between leech parasitism, turtle hosts, and FP, we compared green and loggerhead turtles from the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida, USA, in terms of (1) the presence or absence of ChHV5 within associated leeches, (2) the association between leech parasitism and host FP status, and (3) seasonal variation in leech presence. We identified 55 leeches collected from green turtles as O. branchiatus and 22 leeches collected from loggerhead turtles as O. margoi. Of 77 sequenced leeches, 10 O. branchiatus and 5 O. margoi were ChHV5 positive. ChHV5-positive O. branchiatus trended towards coming from FP-positive hosts. Using 12 yr of turtle capture data from the IRL, we found that leech parasitism was significantly correlated with FP and capture month in green turtles but not in loggerhead turtles. These results suggest that O. branchiatus and O. margoi may differ in their ability to transmit ChHV5 or to encounter and remain on FP-positive hosts. Alternatively, potential immunological differences between green and loggerhead turtles may explain the observed relationships. This study is the first to provide robust statistical evidence of an association between leeches and FP, as well as seasonal fluctuations in leech presence, in green turtles but not in loggerhead turtles.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Resumen
Long-term sea turtle survey establishing first robust statistical evidence linking Ozobranchus branchiatus leech parasitism to fibropapilloma disease and ChHV5 transmission.
Por qué esto importa para la hirudoterapia
Este estudio comparó tortugas verdes y tortugas bobas de la Indian River Lagoon de Florida para evaluar las relaciones entre el parasitismo por sanguijuelas marinas (Ozobranchus branchiatus en tortugas verdes; O. margoi en tortugas bobas), el estado de fibropapilomatosis (FP) del hospedador, la presencia del alfaherpesvirus quelónido 5 (ChHV5) en las sanguijuelas y la variación estacional. De 77 sanguijuelas secuenciadas, 15 fueron positivas para ChHV5, y el análisis estadístico de 12 años de datos de captura encontró que el parasitismo por sanguijuelas se correlacionó significativamente con la FP y el mes de captura en las tortugas verdes, pero no en las tortugas bobas. El estudio proporciona la primera evidencia estadística robusta de una asociación sanguijuela-FP en tortugas verdes. Este trabajo es relevante únicamente para la parasitología y la ecología de enfermedades de tortugas marinas; no tiene relación con la hirudoterapia medicinal ni con el secretoma terapéutico de las sanguijuelas.
Citación
Marine leech parasitism of sea turtles varies across host species, seasons, and the tumor disease fibropapillomatosis.
Rittenburg LT et al. · Diseases of aquatic organisms, 2021
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Añadido a la biblioteca ASH: May 27, 2026 · Última actualización del sitio: 18 de junio de 2026