Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This guy I know that works at the Omaha Zoo mentioned a virus running thru peoples ball pythons in captivity. This was the first I heard of this. Is there any truth to this an if so do you have any details like do you know (do not list names)people that have suffered losses because of this?

Is this a different virus than Boid Inclusion Body Disease?
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2.4 ball pythons
1.1 kingsnakes
0.1 crazy cat
?.? ASFs
1.0 husband

only virus I have heard of that affects ball pythons is the IBD but its not epidemic or anything. However, if it gets into a collection it can easily wipe it out as currently, there is no cure for it, or at least none that I am aware of. Only effective cure really is culling. But this disease is far more common with boa constrictors.

Effective quarantine is really the only effective prevention.
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PHLdyPayne

There are a lot of virus's that balls are susceptible to just like humans - most run their course and are gone just like in humans some are really nasty and kill. They've been around for years - people loose lots of snakes -- it happens -- it's nothing to panic over -- QT properly and practice good husbandry and you should be fine.
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Tosha
JET Pythons
Toshas Blog

Herp Medicine does not equal a bottle of Baytril - Dr. Scott Stahl

A diarrhea causing parasite that reptiles, birds, and mammals are often infected by is Cryptosporidium.

It's a parasite that infects the intestinal tracts of the host. A lot of times reptiles will contract it and by the time the reptile gets noticeably sick its too late. A simple veterinary examined fecal float of the suspected animal can tell you whether they have it or not. The problem is that once detected it is extremely difficult to eradicate since crypto's oocyte's are very hardy and not susceptible to a number of chemicals used in the treatment of parasites.

This could possibly be the disease you heard of. It could wipe out a collection if not caught soon enough. The best way to determine whether your reptile is having diarrhea or not is to examine its fecal matter. If its watery and you see large intact undigested parts of prey (cricket shells intact, mouse or rat pelts, bones, tails intact) it is most often diarrhea.

Although potentially deadly cryptosporidium is not that common and often a result of reptiles ingesting dirty, poorly sanitized water. Hope this helps.
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Walter
WAR EAGLE!!!

Cryptosporidiosis is an increasingly diagnosed parasitic infection in reptile collections, particularly in snakes. The course of the disease is unusual since it tends to be self-limiting in immunocompetent bovines, canines, felines, and other species, but can be fatal in its reptilian host. The infection is often insidious in onset, causing irreversible pathological changes before physical signs develop. Clinically healthy, intermittent shedders may become symptomatic years after the parasite is first diagnosed in the animal. Additionally, the affected animal may die acutely, or the clinical disease may take up to two years before killing its host.

The life cycle of Cryptosporidium serpentis is thought to be similar to that of Cryptosporidium parvum,muris, and other species in mammals. Two types of infective stages are produced. The first is a thick-walled oocyst which contains four sporozoites. The oocysts are passed in the feces and remain infective in the environment for months, where they are extremely resistant to temperature extremes and disinfectants. These oocysts are responsible for both infections in new hosts as well as reinfection of the original host. The oocysts are ingested, and the four sporozoites are released. The second stage involves four sporozoites encased not in a thick wall, but rather in a single, thin membrane. This membrane ruptures after breaking out of a host cell, releasing the sporozoites and immediately reinfecting the host animal. In both stages, the sporozoites infect the microvillus border of the gastric glands, and in snakes, lesions are usually localized to the stomach.

The classic presentation of Cryptosporidium serpentis infection in the snake is an animal which regurgitates its meal within four days or less of ingestion. This regurgitation occurs because of decreased gastric lumen size and mucosal irritation. Since the diameter of the stomach has often increased, a noticeable swelling can be visualized and palpated in the mid-body region. The snake may

or may not be anorexic, depending^n how far the disease has progressed. Often, a mucoid diarrhea is noticed.

It is important to differentiate Cryptosporidiosis from other causes of regurgitation and gastritis. Suboptimal temperatures, inappropriate prey size, stress, and foreign body obstructions are other potential causes of regurgitation. Hibernation associated necrotizing gastroenteritis, parasitism from other protozoa and nematodes, viruses, Salmonella and other bacteria can all cause similar signs, but the gastric swelling is pathognomonic for Cryptosporidiosis.

In the living animal, Cryptosporidiosis can be diagnosed by gastric lavage,endoscopic gastric biopsy, fecal smears, and smears of mucous adhered to regurgitated prey items. Since oocysts are intermittently shed, it is recommended that multiple samples be taken. It is important to note that a negative result does not imply that the animal is not infected, only that oocysts may not be present in the particular sample. Acid fast staining is the preferred technique for cytology and fecal preparations, and is easily performed.

Gross lesions include gastric hyperplasia and fibrosis, a decreased diameter of the gastric lumen, and an increased overall diameter of the stomach. Often, the gastric mucosa will be edematous and the rugal folds thickened longitudinally. Additionally, petechial hemorrhage and focal areas of necrosis may be observed.

Histopathologically, the microvillus brush border becomes disrupted as new oocysts burst out of their host cells. The acid secreting cells that line the gastric pits become reduced in number. Mucous secreting cells are hyperplastic, and the mucosa atrophies while the submucosa and musculature becomes fibrotic.Leukocytes may be present in response to the inflammatory process, and the lamina propria may become edematous. The organisms are microscopically visible attached to the epithelial cells of the brush border microvilli. It is recommended that multiple samples of gastric tissue, taken at necropsy, be submitted for histopathology in order to improve the chances of recognizing the organism.

Currently, there is no evidence that Cryptosporidium serpentis is transmissible to humans or other mammals.
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1.0 Sunrise (sshhh)
1.0 orange ghost mojave
1.0 Het pied
1.0 Hypo
1.0 Spider Het Hypo
0.1 orange ghost mojave
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 Pastel Het ghost
0.1 Hypo
0.1 mojave
0.4 Het nerd Orange Hypo
0.2 poss Het nerd Orange Hypo
0.1 poss Het albino
0.1 het pied
0.1 Bell Jungle
0.6 normal breeders
0.1 black pastel (unproven)
0.1 Tiger ball (unproven)
0.1 genetic reduced pattern
0.1 black back
0.1 mojave (best looking one ever! thanks Jeff Luman)
0.1 Pastel Het ghost
1.0 posslble salmon boa
0.1 BCI 8.5 ft
1.0 (creamcicle?) (okatee?) digging in to his genetics . . .
1.0 snow corn
1.0 anery motley
0.1 anery motley
0.1 ghost motley corn
0.1 lavendar het hypo
0.1 miami het hypo
0.1 coral snow
0.1 miami
0.1 sunglow
0.1 candy cane
0.1 love line okatee
0.1 blue tail monitor
2.2 felines aka boa food ;o
And I am not gonna count all those rats . . .

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Did you get any of the symptoms of this disease? If not, can you pleasew find out. I would imagine zoo people, biologist and scientists that work in these fields have a tight circle and rumours would travel fast. It is always good to know about potential dangers ahead of time..

Thanks for the heads up.

What about paramyxovirus? There was someone awhile back that lost A LOT of ball pythons to this.

Info I found:

Paramyxovirus is most common in vipers, but it is occasionally found in other snake species. This virus is usually transmitted by nasal or respiratory secretions from infected snakes.

Infected snakes usually show respiratory signs of disease. Often they show nasal discharge, open-mouth breathing, abscess material building up in the oral cavity and increased respiratory sounds. Some snakes will have signs showing the nervous system has been affected, including head tremors and a severe twisting of the head and neck, which is called opisthotonos.

When a dead snake is examined, herp vets usually will see signs of things gone terribly wrong in the respiratory tract. Often the nasal passages and windpipe (trachea) are filled with cheesy pus. The lungs may be filled with fluid or caseous (cheesy) pus and often there is a secondary bacterial infection in them.

If a snake with respiratory signs does not improve on appropriate antibiotic therapy, paramyxovirus should be suspected. Lung tissue samples taken postmortem (necropsy or animal autopsy) can be used to detect virus particles on histopathology or by electron microscopy. Some paramyxoviruses can be grown in cell cultures. A hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test has also been developed to measure antibodies against this virus. The infection can look very similar to a reovirus that has also been discovered to cause deaths in snakes.

There is no treatment specifically for this virus. Antibiotics can be used to treat any secondary bacterial infections. Isolation of sick animals and strict hygiene should be practiced to prevent the spread of paramyxovirus through a snake collection. At this time, no vaccine providing adequate protection against this virus is available.
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BALL PYTHONS
1.0 08 Mojave - Mojo
1.0 08 Cinnamon - Kip
1.1 09 Het Caramel albino - Raj & Lind
0.1 09 Piebald (high white) - Trouble (what I'll be in if the bf finds out how much I spent!)
0.1 09 Pinstripe - Inyo
0.1 08 Spider - Arana
0.2 Pastel - Dia 07 & Gembi 08
0.4 Normal - Malia, Copper, India & Kenya
OTHER SNAKES
1.0 Albino Boa - One-Eyed Willie
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa - Ajax
1.2 Corn Snake - Sunny Tequila amel male; Voodoo Tiki motley snow, Margarita creamsicle
LIZARDS
1.1 Bearded Dragon - Orin & Sierra
0.0.1 Red/Blue Hybrid Tegu - Jackson
MAMMALS
0.1 American Bulldog - Maui Rose
0.1 Shiba Inu - Mako (Starlite's Shark Attack)
1.0 American Pit Bull Terrier - Magnum TT, CGC, TDI
2.0 White DSH Cats - Lucaya (Luke) & Fiji
1.0 Cinnamon Pinto Hedgehog - Niles

thanks for all the responses. So far no one has details erveryone has just heard the rumors so this may be nothing at all. If it is real I want to hear all about it.