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J Herpe Med Surg 12[2]:46-47 Summer'02 Case Report 2 Refs

History A 346 g, wild-caught, adult, male eastern box turtle, Terrapene c. carolina, was presented with a 1 cm, smooth, firm mass extending from the mucocutaneous junction of the left lateral vent. On physical examination there were no other external abnormalities, the mass did not appear inflamed, and the surface texture and color was similar to that of the cloacal mucosa. Diagnosis The authors chose to perform an excisional biopsy. Tiletamine/zolazepam 10 mg/kg IM was administered to the turtle for anesthetic induction and analgesic affects. A CO2 laser with a 0.8 mm ceramic tip was set at superpulse 6 watts, and the mass was excised by focusing the beam at its base from a distance of 2 cm. No bleeding was noted following excision of the mass. Postoperative recovery was uneventful and the turtle was discharged to the owners with instructions to apply triple antibiotic ointment to the affected area once daily for 10 d. Histopathology revealed that the mass was predominately composed of fibrin with large numbers of heterophils. The tissue was vascularized and many of the vessels contained small fibrin thrombi. Bacterial colonies were present along the outer surface and at the center of the mass. The final morphologic diagnosis was a pericloacal abscess. Comments In most cases, reptile abscesses are associated with the coagulation of hard, caseous material that is often walled-off from the surrounding tissue. The bacteria noted on histopathology were not isolated in the center of the abscess, but were dispersed throughout the mass. Nonspecific granulomas have been reported in reptiles as a common sequela to infectious disease. There were no complications and no evidence of recurrence in this patient two months post-operatively.