Search

There is a paucity of information regarding the health status of free-ranging eastern indigo snakes (EIS; Drymarchon couperi) in heavily modified and developing landscapes. As a component of regional Florida Everglades restoration efforts, several areas occupied by EIS are being converted from agricultural lands to reservoirs. From 2020 to 2022, 28 EIS were opportunistically captured at two of these sites and brought into captivity to join a captive breeding colony; however, 11 snakes died within 5 mo of capture. Health assessments were performed on 28 individuals and included hematology and plasma biochemistry analysis, as well as screening for pesticide contaminant levels, parasites, and other pathogens. Overall, the presence of pathogens was relatively high, suggesting immunosuppression secondary to stress: 25/28 (89.4%) Kalicephalus sp.; 12/28 (42.9%) Raillietiella orientalis; 11/28 (39.2%) Ochetosoma validum; 7/28 (25.0%) Cryptosporidium serpentis; 3/28 (10.7%) snake adenovirus 1; and 1/28 (3.6%) Ferlavirus genotype C. Stress may have been caused by physical displacement, habitat modification, and noise pollution. These potential stressors (including the presence of remnant harmful chemicals from previous land use and the impacts on this federally threatened species) should be considered further when making restoration or construction decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare various sampling techniques and commercially available diagnostic tests for Cryptosporidium serpentis., Methods: A colony of 80 eastern indigo snakes (Drymarchon couperi) in human care was screened for the presence of C serpentis using endoscopic gastric mucosal biopsies for histologic and molecular analyses. At the time of endoscopic examination and biopsy, a cloacal swab, gastric swab, and gastric lavage sample were also collected. A C serpentis-specific probe hybridization quantitative PCR (qPCR) was performed on each sample. The gastric lavage sample was divided equally for direct microscopy, acid-fast stain, rapid qualitative immunochromatographic assay, direct fluorescent antibody, and 5 different PCR analyses. If a fecal sample was available at the time of endoscopic evaluation, it was also evaluated for Cryptosporidium oocysts by direct microscopy and acid-fast staining., Results: When comparing test results to histologic analyses, the sensitivity of the probe hybridization qPCR of gastric biopsy, gastric lavage, and gastric swab was 100% while the cloacal swab was 72%. When gastric lavage tests were compared, qPCRs outperformed the other tests., Conclusions: Endoscopic biopsy for histologic and qPCR analyses is recommended for disease diagnosis, while gastric lavage or gastric swab samples for qPCR analysis are as sensitive as endoscopic biopsy for screening for the pathogen but cannot diagnose disease., Clinical Relevance: The results from this study allow the veterinary practitioner to select the most appropriate sample and testing methodology when evaluating an ophidian patient for gastric cryptosporidiosis.