There is no doubt that that the immune system and antibody response in reptiles is temperature dependent and that sub-optimal temps can readily stress and compromise the immune system of captive boids. It has been found with several studies that the gram negative bacteria responsible for most infections in captive boids have been isolated from over 95% of captive collections of boids that were sampled. Additionally, it was also found that something like 99% of all throat swabs from captive boids tested positive for P. aeruginosa, the main cause of most cases of stomatitis, whereas it was very rarely ever isolated from wild caught specimens. The fact that the wild caught boids showed no sign of P. aeruginosa, and that the vast majority of captive boids are asymptomatic carriers, points to the conclusion that P. aeruginosa and other pathogenic bacteria are opportunistic species in captive boids. It is only when stress suppresses the immune system of the animal, that these bacteria are able multiply to cause a disease condition. Non-stressed captive boids with un-compromised immune systems are able to keep these pathogenic bacteria in check.

Obvious stressors to captive snakes include sub-optimal temperature regimes or humidity, inadequate hiding areas, excessive handling, crowding and incompatibility of specimens, inadequate diet and clean water, injuries, unsanitary conditions, etc. While all of the above stressors can lower the immune response in captive boids, I believe sub-optimal temps cause the majority of stress issues. You are absolutely correct in that tropical boids need a daily high temp sufficient to maintain the immune response at an adequate level, and field studies have confirmed this. Temps can drop considerably at night, but without a sufficient daily high temp, stress occurs and the immune response is compromised. Conversely, temps that are too high can cause stress as well, and temps sought out by disease compromised boids trying to activate their immune systems are higher than those sought out by healthy individuals.

Since these pathogenic bacteria are always present in captive boids, stomatitis can occur when a stressed boid has any type of irritation to the tissue in the interior of the mouth. This can be from something as obvious as an injury, or as innocuous as the scraping of the gums during normal feeding. If the immune system is compromised, it might not take much at all to initiate the infection, and the damage could be so slight as to be unobservable. Sub-optimal temps do not cause stomatitis, but the lowered immune response caused by the sub-optimal temps allows the infection to progress. And I most definitely agree with you that the number one cause of suppressed immune response in captive boids is sub-optimal temps.

Kelly

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