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Table 3 Mass, straight carapace length, and plasma concentrations of -tocopherol (vitamin E), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and TBARS to vitamin E ratios of cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) affected with steatitis compared to those of free-ranging immature control turtles. Cold-stunned KRT had significantly lower plasma vitamin E concentrations (median = 3.5 nmol/g), lower plasma TBARS concentrations (median = 1.6 nmol/g), and higher T/E ratios (median = 0.50), than controls (62.3 nmol/g; 2.1 nmol/g; 0.03, respectively). Graph: Figure 4 Vitamin E plasma concentrations over time in individual cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) with steatitis. [Extracted from the article]

Simple Summary: Drug dosing in sea turtles is often extrapolated from other reptiles, mammals, and humans. A more accurate way to determine the appropriate dose of a particular drug is by performing pharmacokinetic studies in that species. Meloxicam is an anti-inflammatory and pain management drug commonly used in humans and a wide range of animals including sea turtles. The authors recently published a study on single-injection meloxicam pharmacokinetics in sea turtles. The current study is a continuation of the single-injection study with objectives to determine the appropriate frequency of meloxicam administration in Kemp's ridley and green sea turtles. Further, we evaluated whether the drug accumulated in the blood after multiple injections and if it caused any side effects. The results show that Kemp's ridley sea turtles should receive a dose of 1 mg/kg subcutaneously every 12 h, whereas in green turtles, this same dose should be used at a frequency of every 48 h. No adverse side effects or statistically or clinically significant changes to blood work parameters were noted. This study provides important information to enhance pain management in endangered sea turtles undergoing rehabilitation. The objective of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetics and safety of multiple injections of meloxicam (MLX) administered subcutaneously (SQ) in Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles. Based on results from a previously published single-injection study, a multiple-injection regimen was derived for the Kemp's ridleys, which consisted of administering MLX at a dose of 1 mg/kg SQ every 12 h for 5 days, and for green turtles at a dose of 1 mg/kg SQ every 48 h for three treatments. Six turtles of each species were used for the study, and blood samples were taken at multiple time intervals. The terminal half-life after the last dose for the Kemp's ridley sea turtles was calculated at 7.18 h, and for the green sea turtles at 23.71 h. Throughout the multiple injections, MLX concentrations remained above 0.57 µg/mL, a concentration targeted in humans for the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. No negative side effects or changes to blood parameters evaluated were observed during the study in either species. The results of this study suggest MLX should be administered SQ to Kemp's ridley sea turtles at a dosage of 1 mg/kg every 12 h and in green sea turtles at a dose of 1 mg/kg every 48 h. The novelty of this work is that it is a multiple-injection study. Multiple injections were administered and produced concentrations that were considered therapeutic in humans, and the turtles did not have any adverse side effects. Furthermore, there were large differences in the pharmacokinetic values between green and Kemp's ridley sea turtles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The Kemp's ridley sea turtle is an endangered species that is susceptible to a tumor disease called fibropapillomatosis (FP) and its associated virus, chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5). The goal of our study was to describe FP in Kemp's ridley turtles, including estimated disease prevalence and pathologyg, and case demographics and outcomes, to better understand the risk posed by FP to Kemp's ridley population recovery. During 2006–2020, we identified 22 cases of Kemp's ridley turtles with FP, including 12 adult turtles, a reproductively valuable age class. Molecular diagnostics were used to identify ChHV5 DNA in blood (7.8%) and tumor (91.7%) samples collected from free-ranging Kemp's ridley turtles. Genomic sequencing was conducted to identify ChHV5 variants in tumor samples collected from Kemp's ridley turtles with FP. Along with case data, phylogenetic analysis of resultant sequences suggests increasing, spatiotemporal spread of ChHV5 infections and FP among Kemp's ridley turtles in coastal areas, including the Gulf of Mexico and the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, where they share habitat with green sea turtles (in which FP is enzootic). This is concerning because FP has an uncertain pathogenesis, is potentially related to anthropogenic environmental degradation, and can cause suffering and/or death in severely afflicted turtles. Fibropapillomatosis (FP), a debilitating, infectious neoplastic disease, is rarely reported in endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii). With this study, we describe FP and the associated chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) in Kemp's ridley turtles encountered in the United States during 2006–2020. Analysis of 22 case reports of Kemp's ridley turtles with FP revealed that while the disease was mild in most cases, 54.5% were adult turtles, a reproductively valuable age class whose survival is a priority for population recovery. Of 51 blood samples from tumor-free turtles and 12 tumor samples from turtles with FP, 7.8% and 91.7%, respectively, tested positive for ChHV5 DNA via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Viral genome shotgun sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of six tumor samples show that ChHV5 sequences in Kemp's ridley turtles encountered in the Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Atlantic cluster with ChHV5 sequences identified in green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles from Hawaii, the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean. Results suggest an interspecific, spatiotemporal spread of FP among Kemp's ridley turtles in regions where the disease is enzootic. Although FP is currently uncommon in this species, it remains a health concern due to its uncertain pathogenesis and potential relationship with habitat degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Kemp's ridley turtle is the rarest species of sea turtle and is considered to be critically endangered. While the main habitat of adults is the Gulf of Mexico, juveniles forage off the northeastern United States during summer. However, when juveniles fail to leave this area in autumn before water temperatures fall below 10 °C, they become cold-stunned and strand on beaches. Every winter, there are coordinated efforts to rescue and rehabilitate these stranded sea turtles. Cold-stunned sea turtles require supportive care because they suffer from a variety of medical problems, including steatitis, or inflammation of fat tissue. The goal of this study was to further understand steatitis by investigating blood analytes involved with vitamin E metabolism, and investigating microscopic changes that occur in affected fat tissue. We found that various contributing factors may play a role in the development of steatitis. Based on these findings, we conclude that enhanced vitamin E supplementation and dietary modification during rehabilitation may be useful in preventing and treating steatitis. The results from this study will contribute to improving rehabilitation outcomes and successful release of this endangered sea turtle species. The pathogenesis of steatitis that infrequently occurs in cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtles (KRT; Lepidochelys kempii) has been undetermined. The objectives of this study were to investigate the clinical (n = 23) and histologic findings (n = 11) in cold-stunned KRT, and to compare plasma concentrations of α-tocopherol (vitamin E), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and the TBARS to vitamin E (T/E) ratio (an assessment of oxidative stress) between cold-stunned KRT with clinically and/or histologically confirmed steatitis (n = 10) and free-ranging KRT (n = 9). None of the cold-stunned turtles had clinically detectable steatitis at admission, and the median number of days to diagnosis of steatitis was 71 (range 33–469). Histologic findings of affected adipose tissue included heterophilic (n = 9) and/or histiocytic (n = 5) steatitis, fat necrosis (n = 7), myonecrosis (n = 2), and intralesional bacteria (n = 6). Cold-stunned KRT had significantly lower plasma vitamin E concentrations (median = 3.5 nmol/g), lower plasma TBARS concentrations (median = 1.6 nmol/g), and higher T/E ratios (median = 0.37), than controls (208.8 nmol/g; 2.1 nmol/g; 0.01, respectively). These results suggest a multifactorial etiology for the development of steatitis in KRT during rehabilitation, including tissue injury, septicemia, and various factors resulting in imbalances of anti-/oxidative status. By highlighting the need to provide more effective vitamin E supplementation, and the need to re-assess specific components of the diet, this study may lead to reduced incidence and improved medical management of steatitis in cold-stunned sea turtles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]