Narges Mashkour

Presence and impact of viruses in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from the Northern Great Barrier Reef

Green sea turtles are listed as endangered animals and although Australian turtle biology research is very well established, little is known about the prevalence/incidence and impacts of viral infection on the general health of turtles. In order to fill some of these knowledge gaps, Narges aims to examine green sea turtles of the Great Barrier Reef for the presence and impacts of viruses recorded in other regions or terrestrial turtles. Samples will be screened by traditional and molecular techniques. By comparing the viro-biome of healthy, sick and dead turtles she hopes to find a correlation between the identified viruses and potential diseases.