Abstract
The purpose of this study was to isolate bacteria found in the oral cavity of healthy Bothrops atrox and in snakes with stomatitis. The area around the snake fang sheaths were swabbed and the samples were placed in Stuart transport medium, and then seeded on blood agar and XLD agar. Gram staining and catalase and mannitol tests were performed to identify Gram positive bacteria, while biochemical screening with Rugai-lysine medium was used to identify Gram negative bacteria. Proteus spp. (37.5%), Escherichia coli (25%), Citrobacter spp. (18.76%), Serratia spp. (9.37%) and Enterobacter spp. (9.37%) were isolated from healthy snakes, while Escherichia coli (26.31%), Citrobacter spp. (21.05%), Proteus spp. (15.78%), Salmonella (10.52%), and Staphylococcus spp. (26.31 %) were isolated from snakes with stomatitis. Staphylococcus spp. in healthy snakes and in animals with stomatitis differed significantly, suggesting that this microorganism is associated with cases of stomatitis in Bothrops atrox.
Highlights
In Brazil, Bothrops and Crotalus are the genera of snakes most widely related with snake bites (BERNARDE, 2014)
The purpose of this study was to identify the bacteria in the oral cavity of healthy Bothrops atrox or of snakes with stomatitis bred in captivity, which are used for venom extraction, in order to determine whether the bacteria found in snakes with stomatitis are part of the normal microbiota of this snake species
Bacterial growth occurred in the thirty samples from the oral cavity of healthy Bothrops atrox as well as in the twelve samples from Bothrops atrox with stomatitis, some of which showed the presence of more than one microorganism
Summary
In Brazil, Bothrops and Crotalus are the genera of snakes most widely related with snake bites (BERNARDE, 2014). Jararaca from north of Brazil belongs to the family Viperidae, sub-family Crotalinae, genus Bothrops and species Bothrops atrox Linnaeus, 1758 (COSTA; BÉRNILS, 2015). Antivenom and medicines are researched and produced using a few fractions of the venom of snakes belonging to the genus Bothrops. The main toxic fractions in Bothrops venom are metalloproteinases and bothropsin. Thrombi may be formed, leading to renal ischemia due to decreased blood perfusion (CASTRO, 2006). At most Bothrops breeding facilities, venom is extracted monthly by hand to prevent the formation of oral lesions, which could cause stomatitis. Giannotti et al (2013), who studied morphological changes in the venom glands
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