Ophidiomyces ophidiicola in free-ranging and captive snakes in the Czech and Slovak Republics
Michal Přibyl, Richard Kabelka, Patrik M. Hanzlík, Peter Mikulíček, Nicolas Folk, Vladimír Piaček, Jiří Pikula, Vojtěch Baláž
Abstract
Ophidiomyces ophidiicola (Oo) is a snake fungal pathogen that causes ophidiomycosis. The disease manifests as dermatomycosis and/or systemic mycosis, and can be fatal. It occurs in free-ranging snakes in Asia, Europe and the USA and has also been demonstrated in captive snakes. We tested for the presence of Oo in free-ranging snake populations in the Czech and Slovak Republics (n = 420) between 2019 and 2022, focusing mainly on grass snakes (Natrix natrix) and dice snakes (Natrix tessellata), as well as various captive exotic species (n = 207). After collecting skin swabs, we tested for Oo using the qPCR method. We confirmed fragmented occurrence of Oo in the Czech Republic (total prevalence 15%) and recorded Oo in the Slovak Republic for the first time (total prevalence 33.9%). The highest prevalence was observed in N. tessellata (20.2%), which appears to be the most susceptible species. The pathogen was not detected in captive snakes.