Summary of bacteria found in captive sea turtles 2002-Present

If a sea turtle abruptly stops feeding, or ceases feeding entirely for three consecutive days, it is moved to the First Care Area [FCA] in the main sea turtle rearing barn. The First Care Area is a semi-quarantine area where turtles can get specific attention and medical care. When a turtle is moved to the FCA, it is given an identification number and a medical chart is made for that turtle. Our attending veterinarian is contacted and a treatment plan is developed. Treatment logs are used to compile the FCA logs and help keep track of sick turtles. Tissues and swabs from captive reared sea turtles that die or are euthanized are sent off to the Texas Veterinary Diagnositic Laboratory for analysis. TVMDL reports are submitted to permitting agencies when requried, and are not kept in searchable digital form. When bacteriology reports return from TVMDL, they are added to this database."

The database contains a summary of bacteria which have been isolated in sea turtles dead and alive at the NOAA Galveston Laboratory and is based on reports received from the Texas Veterinary Diagnosic Laboratory in College Station, Texas.