USE OF BLOOD SMEARS FOR BACTEREMIA IDENTIFICATION IN TURTLES OF THE TRACHEMYS GENUS

Aims: Bacteremia is a common finding in chelonian. The aim of this study is to identify this bacteremia using blood smears stained with Gram. Methods and Material: We did Squash blood smears from Trachemys patients over 100 grams and without previous treatment. The blood smears were stained with the Gram technique and examined under the immersion objective 100x. Results: We gathered a total of 28 samples. Only 14% of the samples were positive to Gram + cocci. The absence of clinical signs and hematologic alterations in the samples, classifies the presences of these bacteria as sample contamination. Conclusions: The blood smear is a useful technique for bacteremia identification. However, the specificity and sensibility of the test its unknown, therefore it is necessary to perform new studies which can provide insight of its efficacy.