The conservation of marine megafauna including sea turtles is crucial for the maintenance of healthy marine ecosystems. The Eastern Mediterranean coast is a nesting area for two marine turtle species, the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta). In the last decade, a slow shift to Western Mediterranean nesting areas is being observed for the loggerhead turtle. Globally, conservation of sea turtle species is striked by different pressures. Marine turtles are exposed to threats like coastal development, bycatch, maritime traffic or infectious diseases. One of these diseases is fibropapillomatosis (FP), presumably caused by Chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5). The disease is suspected to be triggered by the interplay of viral, host and environmental factors. FP disease mainly affects green turtles of the Atlantic Ocean, although recent studies suggest the virus is present in Mediterranean loggerhead turtles. The risk of FP disease spread to Mediterranean has been assessed through genetic characterization of host and viral factors in sea turtles rescued in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Acknowledgements: This study has been funded by the subproject ALMA in the framework of the complementary plan on biodiversity, financed by the NextGenerationEU Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, and coordinated under the agreement between Junta de Andalucía and Universidad Pablo de Olavide.