Snake fungal disease: an emerging threat to wild snakes

Jeffrey M Lorch; Susan Knowles; Julia S Lankton; Kathy Michell; Jaime L Edwards; Joshua M Kapfer; Richard A Staffen; Erik R Wild; Katie Z Schmidt; Anne E Ballmann; Doug Blodgett; Terence M Farrell; Brad M Glorioso; Lisa A Last; Steven J Price; Krysten L Schuler; Christopher E Smith; James F X Wellehan Jr; David S Blehert

doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0457

Snake fungal disease: an emerging threat to wild snakes

Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2016 Dec 5;371(1709):20150457. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0457.

Authors

Jeffrey M Lorch¹, Susan Knowles², Julia S Lankton², Kathy Michell³, Jaime L Edwards⁴, Joshua M Kapfer⁵, Richard A Staffen⁶, Erik R Wild⁷, Katie Z Schmidt², Anne E Ballmann², Doug Blodgett⁸, Terence M Farrell⁹, Brad M Glorioso¹⁰, Lisa A Last¹¹, Steven J Price¹², Krysten L Schuler¹³, Christopher E Smith⁴, James F X Wellehan Jr¹⁴, David S Blehert²

Affiliations

¹ US Geological Survey-National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA jlorch@usgs.gov.
² US Geological Survey-National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, WI 53711, USA.
³ New York Center for Turtle Rehabilitation and Conservation, Inc., Narrowburg, NY 12764, USA.
⁴ Minnesota Department of Natural Resources-Nongame Wildlife Program, Saint Paul, MN 55155, USA.
⁵ Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, WI 53190, USA.
⁶ Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 101 South Webster Street, Madison, WI 53707, USA.
⁷ Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI 54481, USA.
⁸ Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, Rutland, VT 05701, USA.
⁹ Biology Department, Stetson University, DeLand, FL 32723, USA.
¹⁰ US Geological Survey-Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Lafayette, LA 70506, USA.
¹¹ Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
¹² Department of Forestry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546, USA.
¹³ Animal Health Diagnostic Center, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
¹⁴ College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.

Abstract

Since 2006, there has been a marked increase in the number of reports of severe and often fatal fungal skin infections in wild snakes in the eastern USA. The emerging condition, referred to as snake fungal disease (SFD), was initially documented in rattlesnakes, where the infections were believed to pose a risk to the viability of affected populations. The disease is caused by Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, a fungus recently split from a complex of fungi long referred to as the Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV). Here we review the current state of knowledge about O. ophiodiicola and SFD. In addition, we provide original findings which demonstrate that O. ophiodiicola is widely distributed in eastern North America, has a broad host range, is the predominant cause of fungal skin infections in wild snakes and often causes mild infections in snakes emerging from hibernation. This new information, together with what is already available in the scientific literature, advances our knowledge of the cause, pathogenesis and ecology of SFD. However, additional research is necessary to elucidate the factors driving the emergence of this disease and develop strategies to mitigate its impacts.This article is part of the themed issue 'Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience'.

Keywords: North America; Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola; dermatitis; emerging disease; fungal infection; snake.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Ascomycota / physiology*
Canada / epidemiology
Chrysosporium / physiology*
Dermatomycoses / epidemiology
Dermatomycoses / microbiology
Dermatomycoses / veterinary*
Host Specificity
Prevalence
Snakes*
United States / epidemiology

Associated data

figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3493056