Researchers Warn of a Spreading Fungus Deadly to Snakes

[tttaylorrr]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/s...es-fungus.html

a coworker shared this with me and i felt i should share it here. from the article:

He emphasized that the new fungus may not be as bad as those other infections. But the potential is there, he said, and now is the time to get ahead of the disease.

“We know so little,” he said, including how severe the fungus may be, about its origins, about how it affects different snakes.

But it is already clear, he added, that this is “another emerging fungal disease that has really broad host ranges.”

[zina10]

That is always concerning.

People often think they are "safe" because they don't keep native wild caught snakes.

However..
at many expos that is exactly what is being offered and sold. I'm not sure if its the same disease, but I've heard there was a dangerous disease spread from wild caught water snakes. The snakes were sold through a expo as well as online, through one of those "all kinds of species" re-sellers.

There could be potential cross contamination from wild caught species to other species kept at the same facility.

Its always a good thing to be aware, and only buy from reputable sellers. Also, to ALWAYS always do strictest of quarantine, esp. when the snake comes from questionable or unknown sources, or has been through several owners/sellers.

[bcr229]

However..
at many expos that is exactly what is being offered and sold. I'm not sure if its the same disease, but I've heard there was a dangerous disease spread from wild caught water snakes. The snakes were sold through a expo as well as online, through one of those "all kinds of species" re-sellers.

Yes those snakes were found to have SFD after samples were sent to a lab for testing. IIRC three different buyers came forward.

[tttaylorrr]

However..
at many expos that is exactly what is being offered and sold. I'm not sure if its the same disease, but I've heard there was a dangerous disease spread from wild caught water snakes. The snakes were sold through a expo as well as online, through one of those "all kinds of species" re-sellers.

Yes those snakes were found to have SFD after samples were sent to a lab for testing. IIRC three different buyers came forward.

wow, that is crazy. also sad; how easy it was for the disease to get to private collections.

always always always quarantine!!! you can never truly know!

[tttaylorrr]

what i thought was sad was how they compared this emerging fungal disease to "white nose syndrome" in bats. it sounds like an absolutely horrible death and it spreads and kills very quickly.

[bcr229]

I don't know about snakes in the wild but the ones diagnosed and kept in captive collections don't die quickly. It would be better if they did since they would not spread it.

Sadly wild female colubrids with SFD that are gravid have been collected, studied, their eggs incubated, etc. Most of the neonates are stillborn and the few that are born live show SFD signs within days of hatching.