Limpus and Miller., 1994:

"Fibropapillomas in marine turtles were first reported 52 years ago (Locke 1938:  Smith and Coates 1938). However, the causes of these tumors and their impact on the overall health of marine turtle populations is still unclear (Jacobson et al. 1989: Mansell et al. 1989).

The physical structure of the fibropapillomas resembles that of fibropapillomas that occur in other animals (see Jacobson et al. 1989). Both the tissue response and the occurrence suggest an infectious agent, most likely a virus (Jacobson et al. 1989).  However, because no virus-like particles or evidence of other pathogenic agents could be demonstrated in any of the cells cultured from the Indian River samples and examined by electron microscopy (Mansell et al. 1989), the cause of the infection remains unknown.

Since 1969, when the Queensland Turtle Research Project commenced, a very low incidence of fibropapillomas has been recorded annually in nesting loggerhead, green and flatback turtle populations in Queensland.  Systematic studies of turtles in their feeding areas commenced in 1974 within the Capricornia Section of the Great Barrier Reef and additional study sites have been included in recent years.  Until this last year, a very low incidence of fibropapillomas was also characteristic of turtles recorded in feeding area studies.

Table 1 summarises the incidence of turtles recorded with fibropapillomas at feeding area study sites in Queensland in recent years.  Significant levels of this disease in some Queensland green turtle populations have now been recorded, namely Repulse Bay and Moreton Bay.  The higher incidence of the disease in green turtles from the inshore soft-bottomed seagrass habitats contrasts with its low incidence in green turtles from coral reef habitats.  

There is insufficient information on this disease to determine whether the higher incidence in these inshore, relatively enclosed waters results from pollution or whether it is a disease spread via a vector such as ozobranchid leeches.  These ectoparasites of marine turtles are much more prevalent on the turtles from the soft bottomed habitats than those from coral reefs.  Within Moreton Bay, green and loggerhead turtles live sympatrically and both carry large numbers of ozobranchid leeches.  The higher incidence of fibropapilloma in green turtles (Table 1) suggests that green turtles are more susceptible to the disease than loggerhead turtles, whatever the cause."

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Citation and/or URL

Limpus, C.J. & Miller, J.D. 1994, The occurrence of cutaneous fibropapillomas in marine turtles in Queensland. In: Proceedings of the Australian marine turtle conservation workshop, ed. R. James, Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage and Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Canberra, Australia

Spatial Coverage

Queensland

Temporal Coverage

1988 - 1990

Update Frequency

Other Information

Limpus, C., Couper, P. J., & Read, M.A. (1994).  The Green Turtle Chelonia mydas, in Queensland:  Population structure in a warm temperate feeding area.  Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 35(1): 139-154