Fibropapillomatosis (FP), an infectious disease of sea turtles, is characterized by tumors of the skin, eye(s) and/or internal organ(s), and is associated with chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5). Despite extensive research on FP, the pathogenesis of ChHV5 remains poorly under- stood, particularly regarding asymptomatic infections. Here, we provide evidence for detectable ChHV5 DNA in biological samples from symptomatic and asymptomatic green turtles Chelonia mydas. Using a probe-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay for ChHV5, we evaluated the rela- tionship between ChHV5 DNA loads and FP disease status, and investigated potential routes of ChHV5 shedding. Samples of tissue, blood, urine, and feces were collected from 67 green turtles at 3 rehabilitation facilities in the southeastern USA. Turtles were divided into 3 study groups: clinical signs of FP (n = 23), history of FP but no clinical signs (n = 13), and no known history of FP (n = 31). Via qPCR, ChHV5 DNA was reliably detected in FP tumors, non-tumored skin, blood, urine, cloacal swabs, and plasma from green turtles in all 3 groups. Our results provide novel evi- dence for ChHV5 DNA in blood cells, which may represent a critical phase of the ChHV5 life cycle and provide a mechanism for viral transport, and documents that viral DNA can be detected in the urine of symptomatic and asymptomatic turtles. As molecular diagnostics become more afford- able, sea turtle health experts can use qPCR to monitor ChHV5 gene copies and thereby detect early signs of viral presence in blood, urine, and tissue samples.