Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had five rattlesnakes die of a mysterious disease that I cannot figure out. I wonder if any of you have experienced the same symptoms with any of your snakes. The snakes look perfectly healthy and give no clues of illness. Then I notice blood spattered all over the cage and the snake is dead and upside down. Yesterday, I came upon the fifth one that has been affected that was still alive with blood coming out of its mouth. It is either a respiratory infection or gastro. The most disturbing thing is that I don't even get a chance to treat the disease.

Ophidian Paramyxo Virus.... Big problems ahead for your collection. I'm sorry to say but it will spread like wildfire through your collection. Very little you can do now...
There is no treatment for the virus... Sorry to hear about it.

A 6 month quarantine period in a seperate room/building is required anytime you add any snake to your existing collection. OPMV will usually rear it's head in that time frame and then you will only lose the animal/s in your quarantine. If anything survives the virus it will be a carrier that will pass it on to anything you aquire in the future... Unfortunately, the general thought of what to do at this point is to uthenize the collection...

Again, bummer to hear.
Terry
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It's what you learn AFTER you know it all that counts!

Terry Phillip
Curator of Reptiles
Black Hills Reptile Gardens
Rapid City, SD.

www.reptilegardens.com

Thank you for the response. Certainly not the news that I wanted to hear. So far it has only affected the rattlesnakes and only those in plastic tubs. The only introduction that I have had to the collection were two wild caught Mojave Greens that I housed in the same plastic tubs. I will remove the remaining rattlesnakes and distroy the tubs. The first two died about a year ago. It has only recently reared it's ugly head again so the dormant period was well over 6 months. Thanks again.

Ya the dormant periods are what seem to throw people off...after months of major vigiliance I've heard of people who then wane on that vigilance and then see another out break.
It does seem though that the specimens that survive the initial onslaught then become somewhat resistant and are thought to be carriers rather than sufferers...? Weird disease that not alot is yet known about but it does seem to affect Crotalids the most severely and readily.

Good luck to you.
Cheers!
Terry
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It's what you learn AFTER you know it all that counts!

Terry Phillip
Curator of Reptiles
Black Hills Reptile Gardens
Rapid City, SD.

www.reptilegardens.com

I think there is a lot to the -- those that recover become carriers. Also, think I read Crotalus, Pythons, and especially Ball Pythons are highly susceptible.

I'm thinking it is some form of immune deficiency disease, where snakes can be brought back from illnesses (Respiratory Infections, Stomatitis, lesions) brought on by the syndrome, but relapse easily if stressed environmentally or physiologically. And they do continue to be carriers.

Just my thoughts.

jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

I also believe a form of Bacterial Encephalomeningitis is a common disease/symptom associated with the syndrome.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

I truly appreciate both of your inputs. About all that I can say is that I am not going to take it lying down. I have begun a regime of boiling everything that I can boil and throw out all that I cannot. I even boiled the snake stick yesterday. Thanks again.

You may want to read the following.. you can also carry it on your clothes or in your hair, so if you were handling wild snakes and then came home without changing you can transmit it to your collection (or visted someone's collection with either an active infection or a carrier).

Long periods between appearances of the virus can possibly be due to the temperature at which the snakes were kept (see references below).

The reason a seperate room or building is recommended is that some strains appear to be able to spread via small air born particles.

You may be interested in reading

http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/college/departments/sacs/research/OphidianParamyxovirus.html

http://www.eaza.net/activities/tdfactsheets/047 Paramyxovirus Infection (Ophidian).doc.pdf

http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/college/departments/sacs/research/OphidianParamyxovirus.html

Ed