A Retrospective Analysis of Amoebiasis in Reptiles in a Zoological Institution

McFarland, Alexander; Conley, Kenneth J.; Seimon, Tracie A.; Sykes, John M.

doi:10.1638/2020-0148

Cited by 3 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Two snakes with amebiasis were found with Entamoeba ranarum . 16 Testing for Entamoeba spp. on PCR is therefore an important diagnostic tool in cases where clinical signs of amebiasis are seen but animals test negative for E. invadens .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A retrospective analysis of amebiasis in reptiles kept in another zoological institution suggested a relationship between the stress of relocation and disease development. 16 Providing the very best husbandry, including proper basking sites, may improve the outcomes of infected reptilian patients, aiding in the management of the disease in the collection. The reasons why some species seem more susceptible to the disease and what the ideal environmental conditions are for animals undergoing treatment requires further research.…”

Section: Medical Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Management of Entamoeba Invadens in the Herpetological Collection at the Singapore Zoo

Heng¹,

Hsu²,

Mathew³

et al. 2023

Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine

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Amebiasis caused by Entamoeba invadens is an important disease in reptile collections, causing severe morbidity and mortality. Surveillance of the parasite at the Singapore Zoo was carried out over a 4-yr period by PCR testing on reptiles that presented with lethargy and enteritis for disease investigation. Asymptomatic reptiles sharing the same enclosures as positive individuals were also tested as part of outbreak investigation. Animals in the collection that tested positive for the parasite were treated with metronidazole at various doses, with the addition of paromomycin for two cases, until a negative PCR test result was obtained at the end of the treatment course. A total of 97 samples from 49 individuals across 19 species of reptiles were obtained, of which 24 samples (24.7%) from 19 animals were positive for E. invadens. Of these positive samples, 11 samples were for disease investigation, eight samples for outbreak surveillance, and five samples for treatment monitoring. Treatment was initiated for 10 animals, four of which were showing clinical signs of disease. The parasite was cleared in nine of these 10 animals (90%), with eight animals receiving metronidazole as a sole therapeutic agent. A total of nine animals died of the disease, four of which (44.4%) presented dead or died within 24 h of presentation. Necrotizing enteritis was a consistent postmortem finding resulting in gastrointestinal perforation in two cases, and coelomic adhesions and hepatic trophozoites were each seen in five animals. The results suggest that the management of Entamoeba epizootics in the collection requires prompt outbreak investigation. Diagnosis of the disease with advanced diagnostic tools like PCR, endoscopy, and ultrasonography and treatment with metronidazole in both symptomatic and asymptomatic animals may reduce mortalities during an outbreak.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Medical Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of Entamoeba Invadens in the Herpetological Collection at the Singapore Zoo

Heng¹,

Hsu²,

Mathew³

et al. 2023

Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine

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“…The transmission occurs by oral-fecal via, when cysts are ingested directly from feces or from a contaminated environment. Excystation occurs within the host intestine releasing the motile trophozoites, which replicate and can either remain within the intestinal lumen feeding on ingesta (20,44). Amoebisiasis is usually associated to ulcerative lesions in gastrointestinal tract, including stomach, small intestine and colon (6,16).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, symptomatic cases due to E. invadens (12) and Entamoeba sp. (26,28,20) infections in chelonians have already been reported. In Brazil, amebiasis was described in a red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria; Spix 1824), but the species of the protozoan had not been determined (29).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Fatal and disseminated infection by Entamoeba invadens in a red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria)

Nishihara,

Ferreira-Machado,

Navas-Suarez

et al. 2023

BJVP

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Amebiasis is an important parasitosis that can affect reptiles, specially caused by protozoas of the genus Entamoeba, which include pathogenic or commensal species. Entamoeba invadens is the most common amoeba to cause serious disease and death in reptiles. This paper aims to report a case of a sudden death due to a disseminated infection by Entamoeba invadens in a red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria). The animal was brought to the Center for Management and Conservation of Wild Animals of the Fauna Division and found dead after being kept in an enclousure with other captive tortoises for 11 months. Macroscopic findings evidenced necrotizing typhlitis and proctitis and round yellow areas in the right lobe of liver parenchyma. In the histological examination, necrotizing and heterophilic enteritis and necrotizing hepatitis with macrovesicular degeneration of hepatocytes, associated with mixed inflammatory infiltrate were present. Both organs revealed numerous amoebic trophozoites, morphologically suggestive of the genus Entamoeba, and bacterial colonies. The agent was confirmed by PCR and Sanger DNA sequencing, which leads this study to be the first confirmed case report of E. invadens infection in Brazil in a red-footed tortoise.

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“…Nonetheless, specific investigations on zoonotic pathogens in snakes are warranted considering that G. duodenalis is an important food and waterborne pathogen [88] as well as E. histolytica. The latter has never been reported in snakes [89], which typically host a highly pathogenic reptilian protozoan, Entamoeba invadens, causing necrotic enteritis and hepatitis [90], as well as the less pathogenic species Entamoeba ranarum [90]. Certainly, the integrative approach using morphological and molecular tools further permitted the identification of nematodes belonging to the genera Oswaldocruzia and Rhabdias from cloacal swabs, when fecal samples were not collected [91,92].…”

Section: Plos Neglected Tropical Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasites and microorganisms associated with the snakes collected for the “festa Dei serpari” in Cocullo, Italy

Mendoza-Roldan,

Perles,

Filippi

et al. 2024

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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While in much of the Western world snakes are feared, in the small, rural, mountainous town of Cocullo, in the middle of central Italy, snakes are annually collected and celebrated in a sacro-profane ritual. Every 1st of May, Serpari (snake catchers) capture and showcase dozens of non-venomous snakes to celebrate the ritual of San Domenico. In order to detect potential zoonotic pathogens within this unique epidemiological context, parasites and microorganisms of snakes harvested for the “festa dei serpari” ritual was investigated. Snakes (n = 112) were examined and ectoparasites collected, as well as blood and feces sampled. Ectoparasites were identified morpho-molecularly, and coprological examination conducted through direct smear and flotation. Molecular screenings were performed to identify parasites and microorganisms in collected samples (i.e., Mesostigmata mites, Anaplasma/Ehrlichia spp., Rickettsia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Coxiella burnetii, Babesia/Theileria spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp., Leishmania spp. and helminths). Overall, 28.5% (32/112) of snakes were molecularly positive for at least one parasite and/or microorganism. Endosymbiont Wolbachia bacteria were identified from Macronyssidae mites and zoonotic vector-borne bacteria (e.g., Rickettsia, Leishmania), as well as orally transmitted pathogens (i.e., Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas), were detected from blood and feces. Thus, given the central role of the snakes in the tradition of Cocullo, surveys of their parasitic fauna and associated zoonotic pathogens may aid to generate conservation policies to benefit the human-snake interactions, whilst preserving the cultural patrimony of this event.

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A Retrospective Analysis of Amoebiasis in Reptiles in a Zoological Institution

Cited by 3 publications

References 20 publications

Management of Entamoeba Invadens in the Herpetological Collection at the Singapore Zoo

Management of Entamoeba Invadens in the Herpetological Collection at the Singapore Zoo

Fatal and disseminated infection by Entamoeba invadens in a red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria)

Parasites and microorganisms associated with the snakes collected for the “festa Dei serpari” in Cocullo, Italy

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