Abstract
Ophidiomycosis represents a conservation threat to wild snake populations. The disease was reported in North America early in the 21st century, but the history of ophidiomycosis has not been investigated. We examined museum specimens and confirmed cases of ophidiomycosis >50 years before the disease’s reported emergence.
Highlights
Author affiliations: US Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA (J.M. Lorch, J.S. Lankton); University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA (S.J. Price, A.N. Drayer)
We report the earliest known confirmed cases of ophidiomycosis in free-living snakes in the United States, dating back to 1945
We investigated the historical occurrence of ophidiomycosis in snakes in the United States by examining specimens preserved in formalin or ethanol at the University of Wisconsin Zoological Museum (UWZM; Madison, WI, USA) and Morehead State University Museum Collection (Morehead, KY, USA)
Summary
Author affiliations: US Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA (J.M. Lorch, J.S. Lankton); University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA (S.J. Price, A.N. Drayer) We examined museum specimens and confirmed cases of ophidiomycosis >50 years before the disease’s reported emergence. Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, the causative agent of ophidiomycosis, is one such pathogen recognized as a conservation threat to wild snakes [2].
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