The gross lesions were most often identified in the tissues of alimentary
(e.g. esophagus, stomach and intestine) (no. 7 specimens)
and integumentary (skin, plastron and carapace) (no. 4 specimens)
systems, followed by respiratory (lung) (no. 2 specimens) and
urogenital (kidney) apparatus (no. 2 specimens). In the remaining
tissues examined, heart, brain, liver, spleen, pancreas, bladder and
muscle, few and generally minimal lesions were identified. Histological
lesions of the digestive tract consisted predominantly in
traumatic esophageal perforation caused by ingestion of fishing
hooks and esophagitis, associated with Citrobacter spp. and
Escherichia coli infection. Overall minimal gastritis and enteritis
were observed. In one case, the presence of anisakid nematode
Sulcascaris sulcata (Fig. 1) and necrotizing enteritis associated with
intestinal intussusception caused by the ingestion of fishing hooks
with monofilament fishing lines was observed (Fig. 2). With the
exception of moderate hepatic lipidosis in three specimens, the
livers were grossly normal in all cases. The pulmonary histopathological
lesion identified in one specimen was pneumonia restricted
to the left lung. Bacteria including Pasteurella multocida were associated
with exudative bronchopneumonia. Kidney lesions, showed
mild renal degeneration, whereas one specimen presented glomerulonephritis
(P. multocida). All turtles had multiple abrasions, ulcerations
or lacerations of the head, neck and flipper, as well as one
specimen had abrasions of the plastron and carapace. These injures
were principally of traumatic origin, probably caused during the
stranding process or by entanglement in fishing nets or in case of
carapace attributed to boat-strikes. Bacteria isolated by these lesions included
Citrobacter freundii, E. coli, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and
Pasteurella spp. Epibionts, belonging to species Chelonibia testudinaria
and Lepas anatifera, were encountered on the carapace and limbs of all
turtles, respectively