Research topics

The research activity of the Surgery and Sea Turtle Clinic section has focused for several years on:

Oncological surgery
Orthopedic surgery
Diagnosis and surgery of ear, nose and throat diseases in dogs and cats;
Soft tissue surgery
Electrochemotherapy and study of innovative oncological therapies in small animals
Research on innovative pharmacological strategies for the treatment of canine osteoarthritis;
Wild and pet bird surgery
Wild mammal surgery

Since 2010, thanks to close collaboration with ENEA, the Section has been studying innovative therapies for the treatment of serious and complicated wounds in all animal species (mammals, reptiles and birds).

Furthermore, at the Surgery Section of the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the “Aldo Moro” University of Bari, which for over 15 years has been involved in research and treatment of sea turtle pathologies deriving, directly or indirectly, from anthropic activities, in October 2017 the Sea Turtle Clinic (STC) was officially established.

The STC collaborates with various Sea Turtle Recovery Centers in the area and in southern Italy [CSC Pescara, Lega Ambiente Manfredonia (FG), WWF Molfetta (BA), WWF Torre Guaceto (BR), WWF Policoro (MT), WWF Crotone, CRTM Brancaleone (RC)] which provide turtles caught accidentally or found in difficulty stranded or adrift. The turtles observed at the STC are approximately 250-300 per year.

The studies and research undertaken on sea turtles make it an international point of reference. Current research can be summarized as follows:

studies of surgical pathology, anesthesiology, diagnostic imaging and intensive care applied to sea turtles;
research on the management of serious trauma and wounds to the skull, carapace and limbs of sea turtles,
entanglement
innovative surgical access routes for removing hooks and lines
endoscopy of the respiratory system and celioscopy
diagnostic studies with RX, CT; MRI and ultrasound
study on gas embolism following accidental trawling of sea turtles.