Upper respiratory tract disease (URTD), caused by Mycoplasma agassizii, has been
deemed a threat to populations of Mojave Desert Tortoises, Gopherus agassizii. Previous …

We assessed the potential for microbial interactions influencing a well-documented host–
pathogen system. Mycoplasma agassizii is the known etiological agent of upper respiratory …

We quantified the severity of upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) and immunological
metrics (differential white blood cell counts and bacteria‐killing ability of blood plasma) in …

A seminatural, factorial‐design experiment was used to quantify dynamics of the pathogen
Mycoplasma agassizii and upper respiratory tract disease in the Mojave desert tortoise …

Diverse bacterial communities are found on every surface of macro-organisms, and they
play important roles in maintaining normal physiological functions in their hosts. While the …

The epidemiology of infectious diseases depends on many characteristics of disease
progression, as well as the consistency of these processes across hosts. Longitudinal …

Upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) in North American tortoises (Gopherus) has been
the focus of numerous laboratory and field investigations, yet the prevalence and importance …

Using data from six wild Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii (Cooper, 1861))
populations, we quantified seasonal differences in immune system measurements and …

In disease ecology, the host immune system interacts with environmental conditions and
pathogen properties to affect the impact of disease on the host. Within the host, pathogens …

Immune function plays an important role in an animal's defense against infectious disease.
In reptiles, immune responses may be complex and counterintuitive, and diagnostic tools …