408
The Biology of Sea Turtles, Vol. II
Archiving samples properly for future analysis is important but costly. For certain
materials, archival samples allow retesting, confirmatory testing, and retrospective
studies based on new information and hypotheses and using analyses that were not
available at the time samples were collected. This is especially important for sea
turtles, for which there are likely to be many more unknown diseases and pathologic
agents yet to be discovered. Samples archived for biochemical and molecular assays
and virus isolation must be held at –70∞C or below. This requires an ultracold freezer
with a temperature-monitoring and alarm system and provisions for backup power
or alternative freezer space. It is important to consider the effects of repetitive
thawing and refreezing, and archived specimens should be subdivided and stored in
aliquots to avoid this problem. Specimen redundancy in backup freezers also helps
reduce the risk of loss due to inevitable freezer failures and other disasters. Tissue
specimens for histopathology can be preserved indefinitely at room temperature in
fluid preservatives such as 10% formalin or 70% ethanol, but leakage and evaporation
can lead to specimen loss. Histology specimens can be embedded in paraffin blocks
and stored efficiently, but costs of processing and embedding must be considered.
Management of the archive, specimens, and data is an essential feature and longterm commitment. Adequate records of archive contents and specimen locations are
needed, as well as a relational database that cross-references field data with clinical
evaluations, pathology reports, and laboratory and diagnostic test results. Even the
most meticulously organized and maintained archive will be useless if information
cannot be searched and samples cannot be retrieved efficiently.
15.5 CONCLUSION
Although there is tremendous benefit to be gained by incorporating the art and
science of health assessment and systematic disease investigation into sea turtle
biology, this should not be undertaken lightly. We hope that this chapter has helped
provide some perspective on the process and its limitations.
REFERENCES
Berry, K.H. and Christopher, M.M., Guidelines for the field evaluation of desert tortoise health
and disease, J. Wildl. Dis., 37, 427, 2001.
Bolten, A.B., Techniques for measuring sea turtles, in Research and Management Techniques
for the Conservation of Sea Turtles, Eckert, K.L. et al., Eds. IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle
Specialist Group Publication No. 4, 110–114, 1999.
Bolten, A.B. and Bjorndal, K., Blood profiles for wild population of green turtles (Chelonia
mydas) in the southern Bahamas: size-specific and sex-specific relationships, J. Wildl.
Dis., 28, 407, 1992.
Bolten, A.B., Jacobson, E.R., and Bjorndal, K.A., Effects of anticoagulant and autoanalyzer
on blood biochemical values of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), Am. J. Vet.
Res., 12, 2224–2227, 1992.
Carminati, C.E. et al., Blood chemistry comparison of healthy vs. hypothermic juvenile
Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii), in Proceedings of the 14th Annual
Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, Bjorndal, K.A. et al., Compilers.
N.M.F.S. Tech. Memo. NOAA-TM-NMFS-SEFSC-351, Miami, FL, 203, 1994.
1123 book.book Page 408 Monday, November 11, 2002 11:11 AM
The Biology of Sea Turtles, Vol. II
Archiving samples properly for future analysis is important but costly. For certain
materials, archival samples allow retesting, confirmatory testing, and retrospective
studies based on new information and hypotheses and using analyses that were not
available at the time samples were collected. This is especially important for sea
turtles, for which there are likely to be many more unknown diseases and pathologic
agents yet to be discovered. Samples archived for biochemical and molecular assays
and virus isolation must be held at –70∞C or below. This requires an ultracold freezer
with a temperature-monitoring and alarm system and provisions for backup power
or alternative freezer space. It is important to consider the effects of repetitive
thawing and refreezing, and archived specimens should be subdivided and stored in
aliquots to avoid this problem. Specimen redundancy in backup freezers also helps
reduce the risk of loss due to inevitable freezer failures and other disasters. Tissue
specimens for histopathology can be preserved indefinitely at room temperature in
fluid preservatives such as 10% formalin or 70% ethanol, but leakage and evaporation
can lead to specimen loss. Histology specimens can be embedded in paraffin blocks
and stored efficiently, but costs of processing and embedding must be considered.
Management of the archive, specimens, and data is an essential feature and longterm commitment. Adequate records of archive contents and specimen locations are
needed, as well as a relational database that cross-references field data with clinical
evaluations, pathology reports, and laboratory and diagnostic test results. Even the
most meticulously organized and maintained archive will be useless if information
cannot be searched and samples cannot be retrieved efficiently.
15.5 CONCLUSION
Although there is tremendous benefit to be gained by incorporating the art and
science of health assessment and systematic disease investigation into sea turtle
biology, this should not be undertaken lightly. We hope that this chapter has helped
provide some perspective on the process and its limitations.
REFERENCES
Berry, K.H. and Christopher, M.M., Guidelines for the field evaluation of desert tortoise health
and disease, J. Wildl. Dis., 37, 427, 2001.
Bolten, A.B., Techniques for measuring sea turtles, in Research and Management Techniques
for the Conservation of Sea Turtles, Eckert, K.L. et al., Eds. IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle
Specialist Group Publication No. 4, 110–114, 1999.
Bolten, A.B. and Bjorndal, K., Blood profiles for wild population of green turtles (Chelonia
mydas) in the southern Bahamas: size-specific and sex-specific relationships, J. Wildl.
Dis., 28, 407, 1992.
Bolten, A.B., Jacobson, E.R., and Bjorndal, K.A., Effects of anticoagulant and autoanalyzer
on blood biochemical values of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), Am. J. Vet.
Res., 12, 2224–2227, 1992.
Carminati, C.E. et al., Blood chemistry comparison of healthy vs. hypothermic juvenile
Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii), in Proceedings of the 14th Annual
Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation, Bjorndal, K.A. et al., Compilers.
N.M.F.S. Tech. Memo. NOAA-TM-NMFS-SEFSC-351, Miami, FL, 203, 1994.
1123 book.book Page 408 Monday, November 11, 2002 11:11 AM