Ophiodimyces ophiodiicola, Etiologic Agent of Snake Fungal Disease, in Europe since Late 1950s

Emerg Infect Dis. 2022 Oct;28(10):2064-2068. doi: 10.3201/eid2810.220564.

Abstract

The fungus Ophiodimyces ophiodiicola is the etiologic agent of snake fungal disease. Recent findings date US occurrence at least as far back as 1945. We analyzed 22 free-ranging snakes with gross lesions consistent with snake fungal disease from museum collections from Europe. We found 5 positive samples, the oldest collected in 1959.

Keywords: Ophiodiomyces ophiodiicola; Switzerland; conservation; fungi; infection; reptiles; snake fungal disease; wildlife.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Europe / epidemiology
  • Fungi
  • Mycoses* / epidemiology
  • Mycoses* / microbiology
  • Mycoses* / veterinary
  • Snakes* / microbiology