Diagnosis of Enterococcus sp. infections in cold-stunned Kemp's ridley sea turtles : 50 cases

Abstract

Objective—To document clinical data for cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley turtles (Ledpidochelys kempii) that were diagnosed with Enterococcus spp. Infections during rehabilitation, including morphometric data, body temperature at admission, antimicrobial medication history, intravenous medication history, day of diagnosis, clinical signs at diagnosis, microbiology results, sources of positive cultures, hematologic and plasma biochemical data, cytology results, histopathology results, radiographic findings, antibiotic treatments, time to first negative culture, duration of treatment, results of subsequent cultures, and case outcomes. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance – Cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley turtles may be affected by serious Enterococcus spp. Infections during rehabilitation. Recognition and treatment of these infections is important for successful rehabilitation.