<i>Ophiodimyces ophiodiicola</i>, Etiologic Agent of Snake Fungal Disease, in Europe since Late 1950s

Origgi, Francesco C.; Pisano, Simone R. R.; Glaizot, Olivier; Hertwig, Stefan; Schmitz, Andreas; Ursenbacher, Sylvain

doi:10.3201/eid2810.220564

Cited by 6 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(15 reference statements)

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“…The history and origin of O. ophidiicola in Europe is unclear. Sampling of museum specimens has revealed that strains of O. ophidiicola belonging to clades I and II were present in Switzerland as early as 1959 [35]. It is estimated that clade I shared a common ancestor within the last 100 to 500 years, but that analysis only included four clade I strains and may greatly underestimate the time that O. ophidiicola has been present in Europe [34].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted November 12, 2022. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.11.10.515990 doi: bioRxiv preprint However, only limited information is available on O. ophidiicola infections across Europe, with just a few individual snakes confirmed to be infected with this disease from mainland Europe [28,29,35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although population declines associated with SFD have been documented in some species of North American snakes [26], no such declines have been reported in species across Europe, where O. ophidiicola has most likely coexisted with snakes for longer periods of time [34]. However, only limited information is available on O. ophidiicola infections across Europe, with just a few individual snakes confirmed to be infected with this disease from mainland Europe [28, 29, 35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The estimation of the most recent common ancestor between clade I and II (around 2000 years ago), as well as a lack of nonrecombinant intermediates in North America strongly indicate that O. ophidiicola was introduced to North America, potentially through multiple introduction events [34]. More recently, limited genotyping indicated the presence of both clades I and II in Switzerland dating back to at least 1959 [35]. In addition, slower growth rates have been reported for clade I strains of O. ophidiicola , suggesting that they may be less virulent than clade II strains [28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, only limited information is available on O. ophidiicola infections across Europe, with just a few individual snakes confirmed to be infected with this disease from mainland Europe [28,29,35].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contribution of host species and pathogen clade to snake fungal disease hotspots in Europe

Blanvillain

Lorch

Joudrier

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Infectious diseases are influenced by interactions between host and pathogens in variable environments and are rarely homogenous across the landscape. Areas with elevated pathogen burden and transmission may indicate a disruption to steady-state disease dynamics. However, isolating processes that result in increases in infection prevalence and intensity remains a challenge. Here we elucidate the contribution of host species, and pathogen clade in disease hotspots. We examined broad-scale patterns of infection of O. ophidiicola, the pathogen that causes snake fungal disease, in 21 species of snakes across 10 countries in Europe. Disease hotspots were evident across several regions in Europe, and our analyses revealed significant differences in infection based on host species and pathogen clade. Over 80% of positive detections were from host species in the Natrix genus, indicating potential higher susceptibility in this group. The presence of O. ophidiicola genotypes that have been associated with more severe disease in North America, also resulted in high rates of infection compared to genotypes only described from Europe. Elevated infection prevalence was best explained by an interaction between host and pathogen identity which was not uniform across all species. More broadly, these findings present important mechanisms underlying disease hotspots across a disease endemic region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Contribution of host species and pathogen clade to snake fungal disease hotspots in Europe

Blanvillain

Lorch

Joudrier

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Leveraging preserved specimens of Nerodia to infer the spatiotemporal dynamics of Ophidiomyces ophidiicola via quantitative polymerase chain reaction

Harding

Moretta‐Urdiales

Nordmeyer

et al. 2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Ophidiomyces ophidiicola (Oo) is a fungal pathogen and the causative agent of ophidiomycosis that has affected multiple snake taxa across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Ophidiomycosis has often been referred to as an emerging infectious disease (EID); however, its status as an EID has recently come under debate. Oo infections have been confirmed in wild snake populations in Texas; however, it is unknown if the pathogen is novel (i.e., invasive) or endemic to the state. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted surveys for Oo among preserved Nerodia deposited at three university museums in Texas. First, we visually assessed snakes for signs of infection (SOI), and if SOI were present, we sampled the affected area. We then used quantitative polymerase chain reaction to diagnose the presence of Oo DNA on areas with SOI and used these data to evaluate spatiotemporal patterns of Oo prevalence. We also tested for significant spatial clusters of Oo infenction using a Bernoulli probability model as implemented in the program SatScan. We found that the proportion of snakes exhibiting SOI was constant over time while the prevalence of Oo DNA among those SOI increased across space and time. Within these data, we detected an incidence pattern consistent with an introduction and then spread. We detected six spatial clusters of Oo infection, although only one was significant. Our results support the hypothesis that Oo is an emerging, novel pathogen to Texas snakes. These data narrow the knowledge gap regarding the history of Oo infections in Texas and establish a historical record of confirmed Oo detections in several counties across the state. Thus, our results will guide future research to those areas with evidence of past Oo infections but lacking confirmation in contemporary hosts.

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Pilot survey reveals ophidiomycosis in dice snakes Natrix tessellata from Lake Garda, Italy

et al. 2023

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Ophidiomycosis is an emerging infectious disease caused by the fungus Ophidiomyces ophidiicola (Oo). To date, Oo presence or associated disease condition has been recorded in wild and/or captive snakes from North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, but the data is still scarce outside the Nearctic. Although Italy is a country with a high snake biodiversity in the European panorama, and animals with clinical signs compatible with Oo infection have been documented, to date no investigations have reported the disease in the wild. Therefore, a pilot survey for the Italian territory was performed in conjunction with setting up a complete diagnostic workflow including SYBR Green-based real-time PCR assay for the detection of Oo genomic and mitochondrial DNA combined with histopathology of scale clips. Oo presence was investigated in 17 wild snake specimens from four different species. Four snakes were sampled in a targeted location where the mycosis was suspected via citizen science communications (i.e. North of the Lake Garda), whereas other ophidians were collected following opportunistic sampling. Oo genomic and mitochondrial DNA were detected and sequenced from all four Lake Garda Natrix tessellata, including three juveniles with macroscopic signs such as discolouration and skin crusts. From histopathological examination of scale clips, the three young positive individuals exhibited ulceration, inflammation and intralesional hyphae consistent with Oo infection, and two of them also showed the presence of arthroconidial tufts and solitary cylindrical arthrospores, allowing “Ophidiomycosis and Oo shedder” categorisation. For the remaining snake samples, the real-time PCR tested negative for Oo. This pilot survey permitted to localise for the first time Oo infection in free-ranging ophidians from Italy. Ophidiomycosis from Lake Garda highlights the need to increase sampling efforts in this area as well as in other northern Italian lakes to assess the occurrence of the pathogen, possible risk factors of the infection, its impact on host population fitness and the disease ecology of Oo in European snakes.

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

Cited by 6 publications

References 13 publications

Contribution of host species and pathogen clade to snake fungal disease hotspots in Europe

Contribution of host species and pathogen clade to snake fungal disease hotspots in Europe

Leveraging preserved specimens of Nerodia to infer the spatiotemporal dynamics of Ophidiomyces ophidiicola via quantitative polymerase chain reaction

Pilot survey reveals ophidiomycosis in dice snakes Natrix tessellata from Lake Garda, Italy

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