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29th Annual Meeting and Symposium of the
Desert Tortoise Council, February 20-23, 2004
Abstracts
POSTER
Microbial Communities in the Nasal Passages of Healthy and URTD Tortoises
Ashley M. Ordorica1, Daniel R. Martinez1,
Jenny M. Gomes1, Albert G. DiOrio III1, Sandy Cate2,
F. Harvey Pough1, and Charles E. Deutch1
1Department of Life Sciences, Arizona State University West
2Arizona Game and Fish Department
Natural communities of microorganisms are believed to provide an important barrier to infection by potential pathogens. We characterized the microbial communities in the nasal passages of desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) quantitatively to determine if there are individual or seasonal variations, or differences between healthy tortoises and those with symptoms of upper respiratory tract disease (URTD). We studied 12 captive tortoises at the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Phoenix, Arizona. The tortoises were divided into four groups: three healthy tortoises were sampled monthly, three URTD tortoises were sampled monthly, three healthy tortoises were sampled bimonthly, and three healthy tortoises were sampled once. At each sampling time, the tortoises were examined for general health and weight, and both nares were probed with moistened sterile swabs. The bacteria on the swabs were suspended in sterile saline, serially diluted, and plated on tryptic soy agar medium. Total bacterial counts/ml varied from tortoise to tortoise, increased from May to August and decreased from September to November. Total counts were usually higher in URTD tortoises. The microbial communities were dominated by pigmented Gram-positive cocci, and Gram-positive rods and coryneforms also were found. The proportions of different bacteria varied from month to month and did not differ substantially between healthy and diseased animals. There was no indication that monthly sampling affected the microbial communities. These studies suggest that a broader ecological and microbiological analysis of these communities would be valuable.
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