Amphiorchis sp.
There is a lot of parasites known to infect the sea turtle, the parasite not only infected external sea turtle but they also infected the sea turtles internal, the parasite that infects the sea turtle internal normally by the blood flukes and digenean flukes. In the turtle intestine, there are the most parasitic flukes, this most parasitic flukes will infect the sea turtle and harm the sea turtle, parasitic flukes will live and survive in the sea turtle circulatory system.
A range of disease symptoms can happen because of the blood flukes infection, as we know the sea turtle is a reptilian that lay in thousands of egg. Thousands of microscopic eggs get circulated in the sea turtle's blood vessel and many of the egg be arranged in a various part of the turtle's body. The parasite can cause damage the sea turtle surrounding tissue, and they will trigger the turtle's immune response. There will be an internal lesion throughout the tissue and various organ in the infected turtles. But, there is no answer to the question "How these flukes get into the sea turtle?"
How they survive?
To survive and keep going on their activities, the blood flukes need kind of invertebrate host like the snail. This is because the invertebrate host will undergo asexual reproduction, the asexual reproduction that will produce Cercariae (free-swimming larval stages). In this stages, the sea turtles will be infected. The turtle is being infected by the Cercariae which is the free-swimming larva. The most species of flukes is usually a snail. Vermetidae is a peculiar family of worm-snail. This family of worm-snail is tube-shaped, they live like barnacles and the tube worm. They will be cementing themselves to a hard surface, then they will produce mucus net to trap in zooplankton and microalgae. Worm snail usually abundant in some part of the reef, so no doubt that some sea turtle will end up to get a heavy infection, the sea turtles love to hang out around the habitat. Thanks for reading My Biologist's Adventure.
Reference:
1. Cribb, T. H., Crespo-Picazo, J. L., Cutmore, S. C., Stacy, B. A., Chapman, P. A., & García-Párraga, D. (2016). Elucidation of the first definitively identified lifecycle for a marine turtle blood fluke (Trematoda: Spirorchiidae) enables informed control. International Journal for Parasitology 47: 61-67.
2. Amphiorchis sp. by Tommy Leung
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Hey @zouxx, great post! I enjoyed your content. Keep up the good work! It's always nice to see good content here on Steemit! :)
Thanks..
Sea Turtles have always been one of the creatures that makes me appreciate nature. Maybe it was because of the my naivety during childhood which made me believed that Turtle and Tortoise are the same. 😊😂 I can't help myself though, I heard the wrong tales from my dumb brothers. Lol
Thank you so much @zouxx, this is a wonderful piece and the picture is amazing too!
Thanks, fyi the picture I take from www.pexel.com
Upvoted ☝ Have a great day!