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© 2003 by CRC Press LLC
15 Practical Approaches
for Studying Sea Turtle
Health and Disease
Lawrence H. Herbst and Elliott R. Jacobson
CONTENTS
15.1 Introduction and Background .....................................................................386
15.2 Situations Involving Sea Turtle Medicine ..................................................387
15.2.1 Health Assessment vs. Disease Investigation .................................387
15.2.2 Individual vs. Population Health ....................................................388
15.2.3 Captive vs. Free-Ranging Turtles ...................................................389
15.2.4 Mass Morbidity–Mortality Events vs. Sporadic–Incidental
Problems.......................................................................................... 391
15.3 Systematic Approaches ...............................................................................392
15.3.1 Health Assessment ..........................................................................392
15.3.1.1 Goals and Limitations .....................................................392
15.3.1.2 Test Selection ...................................................................393
15.3.1.3 Interpretation of Out-of-Range Data and Positive
Test Results ......................................................................393
15.3.1.4 Interpretation of Within-Range and Negative Results ....395
15.3.2 A Basic Health Assessment Program .............................................397
15.3.2.1 Capture Data ....................................................................397
15.3.2.2 Behavioral Evaluation .....................................................397
15.3.2.3 Body Mass .......................................................................398
15.3.2.4 Physical Examination ......................................................398
15.3.2.5 Blood Samples .................................................................399
15.3.2.6 Biopsy ..............................................................................400
15.3.2.7 Imaging ............................................................................400
15.3.3 Systematic Approach to Disease Investigations .............................400
15.3.3.1 Signalment, Presenting Problem, and History ................401
15.3.3.2 Physical Examination (External) .....................................402
15.3.3.3 Preliminary Screening Tests ............................................402
15.3.3.4 Problems List ...................................................................403
15.3.3.5 Differential Diagnoses List .............................................403
1123 book.book Page 385 Monday, November 11, 2002 11:11 AM