Fish & Wildlife Disease: Reptile Disease
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By Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program
September 29, 2022
Disease causing pathogens are of concern to human and wildlife health and are frequently the number one reported impairment for water resources in the United States.
Reptile Disease
Reptile Disease
Explore our science using the data below.
Explore our science using the publications below.
Filter Total Items: 64
Host contact and shedding patterns clarify variation in pathogen exposure and transmission in threatened tortoise Gopherus agassizii: implications for disease modelling and management
Summary
Most directly transmitted infections require some form of close contact between infectious and susceptible hosts to spread. Often disease models assume contacts are equal and use mean field estimates of transmission probability for all interactions with infectious hosts.
Such methods may inaccurately describe transmission when interactions differ substantially in their ability to cause in
Authors
Christina M. Aiello, Kenneth E. Nussear, Todd C. Esque, Patrick G. Emblidge, Pratha Sah, Shweta Bansal, Peter J. Hudson
First documented case of snake fungal disease in a free-ranging wild snake in Louisiana
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is a recently documented mycotic disease characterized by scabs or crusty scales, subcutaneous nodules, abnormal molting, cloudiness of the eyes (not associated with molting), and localized thickening or crusting of the skin. SFD has been documented in many species in the Eastern and Midwestern United States within the last decade. SFD has proven lethal in many snakes, a
Authors
Brad M. Glorioso, J. Hardin Waddle, David E. Green, Jeffrey M. Lorch
Proceedings of the 2015 international summit on fibropapillomatosis: Global status, trends, and population impacts
The 2015 International Summit on Fibropapillomatosis (FP) was convened in Honolulu, Hawaii June 11-14, 2015. Scientists from around the world were invited to present results from sea turtle monitoring and research programs as they relate to the global status, trends, and population impacts of FP on green turtles. The participants engaged in discussions that resulted in the following conclusions: 1
Authors
Stacy A. Hargrove, Thierry M. Work, Shandell Brunson, Allen M. Foley, George H. Balazs
Experimental infection of snakes with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola causes pathological changes that typify snake fungal disease
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is an emerging skin infection of wild snakes in eastern North America. The fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola is frequently associated with the skin lesions that are characteristic of SFD, but a causal relationship between the fungus and the disease has not been established. We experimentally infected captive-bred corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) in the laboratory with
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Julia S. Lankton, Katrien Werner, Elizabeth A. Falendysz, Kevin McCurley, David S. Blehert
Causes of mortality in green turtles from Hawaii and the insular Pacific exclusive of fibropapillomatosis
Fibropapillomatosis (FP) comprises a majority of green turtle stranding in Hawaii; however, green turtles in the Pacific are also susceptible to non-FP related causes of death. We present here necropsy findings from 230 free-ranging green turtles originating from Hawaii, the Mariana archipelago, Palmyra Atoll, American Samoa, and Johnston Atoll that died from non-FP related causes. Most turtles di
Authors
Thierry M. Work, George H. Balazs, Tammy M. Summers, Jessy R. Hapdei, Alden P. Tagarino
Detection of snake fungal disease due to Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola in Virginia, USA
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is an emerging disease of wildlife believed to be caused by Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola. Although geographic and host ranges have yet to be determined, this disease is characterized by crusty scales, superficial pustules, and subcutaneous nodules, with subsequent morbidity and mortality in some snake species. To confirm the presence of SFD and O. ophiodiicola in snakes of
Authors
Amanda L. Guthrie, Susan Knowles, Anne Ballmann, Jeffrey M. Lorch
TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction for detection of Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, the fungus associated with snake fungal disease
Background
Fungal skin infections associated with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, a member of the Chrysosporiumanamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV) complex, have been linked to an increasing number of cases of snake fungal disease (SFD) in captive snakes around the world and in wild snake populations in eastern North America. The emergence of SFD in both captive and wild situations has led to an i
Authors
Elizabeth A. Bohuski, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Kathryn M. Griffin, David S. Blehert
Health condition of juvenile Chelonia mydas related to fibropapillomatosis in southeast Brazil
Packed cell volume (PCV), plasma biochemistry, visual body condition (BC), and calculated body condition index (BCI) were evaluated in 170 wild juvenile green sea turtles Chelonia mydas from an aggregation in the effluent canal of a steel mill in Brazil. Occurrence of cutaneous fibropapillomatosis (FP) was observed in 44.1% of the animals examined. BCI alone did not differ significantly between he
Authors
Marcello Renan de Deus Santos, Agnaldo Silva Martins, Cecília Baptistotte, Thierry M. Work
Dynamics of virus shedding and in situ confirmation of chelonid herpesvirus 5 in Hawaiian green turtles with Fibropapillomatosis
Cancers in humans and animals can be caused by viruses, but virus-induced tumors are considered to be poor sites for replication of intact virions (lytic replication). Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a neoplastic disease associated with a herpesvirus, chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5), that affects green turtles globally. ChHV5 probably replicates in epidermal cells of tumors, because epidermal intranucl
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Julie Dagenais, George H. Balazs, Nelli Schettle, Mathias Ackermann
Disease dynamics during wildlife translocations: disruptions to the host population and potential consequences for transmission in desert tortoise contact networks
Wildlife managers consider animal translocation a means of increasing the viability of a local population. However, augmentation may disrupt existing resident disease dynamics and initiate an outbreak that would effectively offset any advantages the translocation may have achieved. This paper examines fundamental concepts of disease ecology and identifies the conditions that will increase the like
Authors
Christina M. Aiello, Kenneth E. Nussear, Andrew D. Walde, Todd C. Esque, Patrick G. Emblidge, Pratha Sah, S. Bansal, Peter J. Hudson
Mycoplasma agassizii in Morafka's desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) in Mexico
We conducted health evaluations of 69 wild and 22 captive Morafka's desert tortoises (Gopherus morafkai) in Mexico between 2005 and 2008. The wild tortoises were from 11 sites in the states of Sonora and Sinaloa, and the captive tortoises were from the state-managed Centro Ecológico de Sonora Zoo in Hermosillo and a private residence in the town of Alamos. We tested 88 tortoises for mycoplasmal up
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Mary B. Brown, Mercy Vaughn, Timothy A. Gowan, Mary Ann Hasskamp, Ma. Cristina Melendez Torres
The story of invasive algae, arginine, and turtle tumors does not make sense
We are presenting a rebuttal letter to the following article that appeared recently on PeerJ: Van Houtan KS, Smith CM, Dailer ML, and Kawachi M. 2014. Eutrophication and the dietary promotion of sea turtle tumors. PeerJ 2:e602. This article is available at the following URL: https://peerj.com/articles/602/. We argue that the article lacks an inferential framework to answer the complex question reg
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Mathias Ackermann, James W. Casey, Milani Chaloupka, Lawrence Herbst, Jennifer M. Lynch, Brian A. Stacy
Disease causing pathogens are of concern to human and wildlife health and are frequently the number one reported impairment for water resources in the United States.
Reptile Disease
Reptile Disease
Explore our science using the data below.
Explore our science using the publications below.
Filter Total Items: 64
Host contact and shedding patterns clarify variation in pathogen exposure and transmission in threatened tortoise Gopherus agassizii: implications for disease modelling and management
Summary
Most directly transmitted infections require some form of close contact between infectious and susceptible hosts to spread. Often disease models assume contacts are equal and use mean field estimates of transmission probability for all interactions with infectious hosts.
Such methods may inaccurately describe transmission when interactions differ substantially in their ability to cause in
Authors
Christina M. Aiello, Kenneth E. Nussear, Todd C. Esque, Patrick G. Emblidge, Pratha Sah, Shweta Bansal, Peter J. Hudson
First documented case of snake fungal disease in a free-ranging wild snake in Louisiana
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is a recently documented mycotic disease characterized by scabs or crusty scales, subcutaneous nodules, abnormal molting, cloudiness of the eyes (not associated with molting), and localized thickening or crusting of the skin. SFD has been documented in many species in the Eastern and Midwestern United States within the last decade. SFD has proven lethal in many snakes, a
Authors
Brad M. Glorioso, J. Hardin Waddle, David E. Green, Jeffrey M. Lorch
Proceedings of the 2015 international summit on fibropapillomatosis: Global status, trends, and population impacts
The 2015 International Summit on Fibropapillomatosis (FP) was convened in Honolulu, Hawaii June 11-14, 2015. Scientists from around the world were invited to present results from sea turtle monitoring and research programs as they relate to the global status, trends, and population impacts of FP on green turtles. The participants engaged in discussions that resulted in the following conclusions: 1
Authors
Stacy A. Hargrove, Thierry M. Work, Shandell Brunson, Allen M. Foley, George H. Balazs
Experimental infection of snakes with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola causes pathological changes that typify snake fungal disease
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is an emerging skin infection of wild snakes in eastern North America. The fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola is frequently associated with the skin lesions that are characteristic of SFD, but a causal relationship between the fungus and the disease has not been established. We experimentally infected captive-bred corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) in the laboratory with
Authors
Jeffrey M. Lorch, Julia S. Lankton, Katrien Werner, Elizabeth A. Falendysz, Kevin McCurley, David S. Blehert
Causes of mortality in green turtles from Hawaii and the insular Pacific exclusive of fibropapillomatosis
Fibropapillomatosis (FP) comprises a majority of green turtle stranding in Hawaii; however, green turtles in the Pacific are also susceptible to non-FP related causes of death. We present here necropsy findings from 230 free-ranging green turtles originating from Hawaii, the Mariana archipelago, Palmyra Atoll, American Samoa, and Johnston Atoll that died from non-FP related causes. Most turtles di
Authors
Thierry M. Work, George H. Balazs, Tammy M. Summers, Jessy R. Hapdei, Alden P. Tagarino
Detection of snake fungal disease due to Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola in Virginia, USA
Snake fungal disease (SFD) is an emerging disease of wildlife believed to be caused by Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola. Although geographic and host ranges have yet to be determined, this disease is characterized by crusty scales, superficial pustules, and subcutaneous nodules, with subsequent morbidity and mortality in some snake species. To confirm the presence of SFD and O. ophiodiicola in snakes of
Authors
Amanda L. Guthrie, Susan Knowles, Anne Ballmann, Jeffrey M. Lorch
TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction for detection of Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, the fungus associated with snake fungal disease
Background
Fungal skin infections associated with Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, a member of the Chrysosporiumanamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV) complex, have been linked to an increasing number of cases of snake fungal disease (SFD) in captive snakes around the world and in wild snake populations in eastern North America. The emergence of SFD in both captive and wild situations has led to an i
Authors
Elizabeth A. Bohuski, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Kathryn M. Griffin, David S. Blehert
Health condition of juvenile Chelonia mydas related to fibropapillomatosis in southeast Brazil
Packed cell volume (PCV), plasma biochemistry, visual body condition (BC), and calculated body condition index (BCI) were evaluated in 170 wild juvenile green sea turtles Chelonia mydas from an aggregation in the effluent canal of a steel mill in Brazil. Occurrence of cutaneous fibropapillomatosis (FP) was observed in 44.1% of the animals examined. BCI alone did not differ significantly between he
Authors
Marcello Renan de Deus Santos, Agnaldo Silva Martins, Cecília Baptistotte, Thierry M. Work
Dynamics of virus shedding and in situ confirmation of chelonid herpesvirus 5 in Hawaiian green turtles with Fibropapillomatosis
Cancers in humans and animals can be caused by viruses, but virus-induced tumors are considered to be poor sites for replication of intact virions (lytic replication). Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a neoplastic disease associated with a herpesvirus, chelonid herpesvirus 5 (ChHV5), that affects green turtles globally. ChHV5 probably replicates in epidermal cells of tumors, because epidermal intranucl
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Julie Dagenais, George H. Balazs, Nelli Schettle, Mathias Ackermann
Disease dynamics during wildlife translocations: disruptions to the host population and potential consequences for transmission in desert tortoise contact networks
Wildlife managers consider animal translocation a means of increasing the viability of a local population. However, augmentation may disrupt existing resident disease dynamics and initiate an outbreak that would effectively offset any advantages the translocation may have achieved. This paper examines fundamental concepts of disease ecology and identifies the conditions that will increase the like
Authors
Christina M. Aiello, Kenneth E. Nussear, Andrew D. Walde, Todd C. Esque, Patrick G. Emblidge, Pratha Sah, S. Bansal, Peter J. Hudson
Mycoplasma agassizii in Morafka's desert tortoise (Gopherus morafkai) in Mexico
We conducted health evaluations of 69 wild and 22 captive Morafka's desert tortoises (Gopherus morafkai) in Mexico between 2005 and 2008. The wild tortoises were from 11 sites in the states of Sonora and Sinaloa, and the captive tortoises were from the state-managed Centro Ecológico de Sonora Zoo in Hermosillo and a private residence in the town of Alamos. We tested 88 tortoises for mycoplasmal up
Authors
Kristin H. Berry, Mary B. Brown, Mercy Vaughn, Timothy A. Gowan, Mary Ann Hasskamp, Ma. Cristina Melendez Torres
The story of invasive algae, arginine, and turtle tumors does not make sense
We are presenting a rebuttal letter to the following article that appeared recently on PeerJ: Van Houtan KS, Smith CM, Dailer ML, and Kawachi M. 2014. Eutrophication and the dietary promotion of sea turtle tumors. PeerJ 2:e602. This article is available at the following URL: https://peerj.com/articles/602/. We argue that the article lacks an inferential framework to answer the complex question reg
Authors
Thierry M. Work, Mathias Ackermann, James W. Casey, Milani Chaloupka, Lawrence Herbst, Jennifer M. Lynch, Brian A. Stacy