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It was suggested that this is the reason that my licorice stick black rat died on me. And this has scared me to hell, mainly for my other snakes. I have a black rat, a blue beauty, a texas bairds, and a chondro.

I have heard from Herman and aonther guy that there is a strain of the OPV that is going to attack colubrids, however i've also heard that there wasn't one. I'm just curious which is true? And if this is, indeed what she has, is there any hope for the rest of my collection?

Also, will the same strain that is affecting my colubrids affect my chondro as well?

Read this the info on this page. If you still think your snake died from a paramyxovirus infection, then you need to talk to your Vet. How long ago did your snake die? Do your other snakes seem to be sick?
Paramyxovirus Infection in Snakes

I have a few comments on that article. First of all, OPV is a retrovirus, a group of virulents known for it's ability to mutate constantly, to be always at least one step ahead of the immune response mechanism. This means that the strain as discovered in 1972 will differ genetically from those that we find today, and that recent strains behave quite different too. One of it's recent features is prolonged dormancy, which alows it to spread throughout entire collections, before it's clinical symptoms surface and measures can be taken to prevent further dispersal. Actually, some contaminated snakes do not show any symptoms at all, but these will stay carriers throughout their lives and a potential biohazard for other snakes.

Second, the diagnostic problem lies in the fact that none of the symptoms are specific for OPV, but can be assigned to many other diseases as well. It's the combination of all of these symptoms which makes OPV a plausible option or not.

Third, unfortunately OPV is not a rare disease anymore. In fact, it has become quite abundant. The rise in popularity of snakes as pets, along with the increased worldwide trade in reptiles, has contributed greatly to it's dispersal. OPV is everywhere!!!

First, the abstract is from 2001, so the info is not that old. Your first posting begged the question, “How do you know that your snake that died had the Ophidian Paramyxo Virus?”

The link listed the symptoms that snakes show when they are infected, and the general course of the disease. It also noted that the disease has been found in Corn Snakes, but that it mostly infects vipers.

My point is that if your snake didn't show the classic symptoms, and it was not a viper; then the odds are that it didn't die of that virus. You should have taken it to a vet if you had concerns.

The University of Georgia has a great reputation for its research. At the time of the page's posting, you can be sure that it was reviewed by one of the students' faculty advisors, and all information was current and up to date at that time. The students were working to produce a simple test for the virus that could be done at a zoo or in a vet's office to give a quick and definitive diagnosis. To criticize the abstract of their research project is petty and uncalled for.

It seems a little silly to me to worry about a disease that none of your snakes have ever been diagnosed by a professional to have.

All snakes in my collection that died on OPV, have been examined by the University of Utrecht. The diagnosis was made by scientists, not by me.

Here in Holland there have been a lot of incidents involving colubrids and OPV. It has been proven on numerous occassions that the virus is not at all restricted to vipers anymore, if it ever really was, and I strongly feel that it is dangerous and STUPID to hold on to that idea.

You could hardly refer to a one A4 sized story about the history of OPV as an 'article', but I really didn't think it was all that bad. I just commented on it, which isn't petty or unfair but common practice. There isn't a single scientist in the world who believes that he/she will have the final word about anything.

By the way, the 'article' you're so proudly taking a stand for actually didn't say that only vipers are sensitive to OPV. I guess that's what you've made of it. Isn't that what they call wishfull thinking?