Average number of SNPs per kilobase pair in 152 contigs associated with GO Slim biological processes.

<p>Bar heights represent the average SNP rate per kilobase pair for select GO Slim biological processes. Color intensity of the bars indicates number of contigs for each GO Slim term.</p

Classification of annotated QPX contigs based on Gene Ontology.

<p>Representation of (a) biological processes, (b) molecular function, and (c) cellular components from Gene Ontology Slim terms based on Swiss-Prot gene annotations. The gene ontology categories ‘other biological processes functions’ (a), ‘other molecular functions’ (b), and ‘other cellular components’ (c) were excluded from these graphs.</p

Relative gene expression levels (RPKM) between QPX10 and QPX21 libraries.

<p>Each circle represents a single contig, with blue circles indicating those contigs that are differentially expressed. The diagonal line represents equal expression between the two libraries.</p

Fibropapillomatosis and chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 infection in kemp’s ridley sea turtles (lepidochelys kempii)

Fibropapillomatosis (FP), a debilitating, infectious neoplastic disease, is rarely reported in endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii). With this study, we describe FP and the associated chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChHV5) in Kemp’s ridley turtles encountered in the United States during 2006–2020. Analysis of 22 case reports of Kemp’s ridley turtles with FP revealed that while the disease was mild in most cases, 54.5% were adult turtles, a reproductively valuable age class whose survival is a priority for population recovery. Of 51 blood samples from tumor-free turtles and 12 tumor samples from turtles with FP, 7.8% and 91.7%, respectively, tested positive for ChHV5 DNA via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Viral genome shotgun sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of six tumor samples show that ChHV5 sequences in Kemp’s ridley turtles encountered in the Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Atlantic cluster with ChHV5 sequences identified in green (Chelonia mydas) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles from Hawaii, the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean. Results suggest an interspecific, spatiotemporal spread of FP among Kemp’s ridley turtles in regions where the disease is enzootic. Although FP is currently uncommon in this species, it remains a health concern due to its uncertain pathogenesis and potential relationship with habitat degradatio