Estimation of prevalence and qPCR copy number of Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola and Snake Fungal Disease in a snake community in southern Illinois, with notes on detection methods


SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
2021 VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING (VAM)
January 3 – Febuary 28, 2021

Meeting Abstract


P24-2  Sat Jan 2  Estimation of prevalence and qPCR copy number of Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola and Snake Fungal Disease in a snake community in southern Illinois, with notes on detection methods Smaga, CR*; Allender, MC; Jiménez, FA; Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL; University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois ; Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL christopher.smaga@uga.edu

Snake Fungal Disease (SFD), also known as Ophidiomycosis, is an emerging pathogen caused by Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, known to affect a wide range of snake species. Recent establishment of reliable detection methods has allowed monitoring of populations infected with the fungus. However, the full impacts are not well-known, and much of the work on wild snakes has focused on specific populations of a few species, while community wide surveys are few. Through the use of qPCR, we document prevalence of clinical signs of SFD and fungal copy number of O.o. in a snake community in southern Illinois. We sampled 56 snakes of 12 species and found that both clinical signs and O.o. are prevalent at the site. Using data from facial and dorsal swabs, we conclude that clinical signs may be predictive of fungal copy number, and there is no significant difference between swab types. We hope this work will improve the detection and knowledge of SFD in wild snakes.

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