K. H. Berry1, J. Mack1, M. Brown2, L. Wendland2, J. Roberts2, and E.R.

Jacobson2

The National Training Center, Ft. Irwin, plans a multi-year research program to translocate ~600 desert tortoises from its southern boundaries in the central Mojave Desert of California. Since 2005, we have evaluated ~700 tortoises, most of which were subadults and adults for general health, clinical signs of upper respiratory tract disease (URTD), shell diseases, and trauma. We drew blood samples for enzyme-linked immunoassays (ELISA) for two species of Mycoplasma, M. agassizii and M. testudineum, and took nasal lavages for cultures, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, and DNA fingerprinting of pathogens. We report on the baseline findings of health, disease, and trauma. Two live adult female tortoises were salvaged in fall of 2006 for necropsy at the University of Florida, because they showed significant clinical signs of disease and pending death. Both tortoises appeared to have severe metabolic disease (toxic or diet related); they did not have mycoplasmosis or pneumonia. We have also established a baseline epidemiological research program for modeling upper respiratory tract disease at a site with high seroprevalence for mycoplasmosis and where an epidemic is underway.
Translocations Session: Oral

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