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Biomedical subjects

E R Jacobson

Publications and source records attributed to E R Jacobson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Soluble scute proteins of healthy and ill desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii).

OBJECTIVES: To characterize protein composition of shell scute of desert tortoises and to determine whether detectable differences could be used to identify healthy tortoises from tortoises with certain illnesses. ANIMALS: 20 desert tortoises. PROCEDURES: Complete postmortem examinations were performed on all tortoises. Plastron scute proteins were solubilized, scute proteins were separated by use of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and proteins were analyzed, using densitometry. Two-dimensional immobilized pH gradient-PAGE (2D IPG-PAGE) and immunoblot analysis, using polyclonal antisera to chicken-feather beta keratin and to alligator-scale beta keratin, were conducted on representative samples. The 14-kd proteins were analyzed for amino acid composition. RESULTS: The SDS-PAGE and densitometry revealed 7 distinct bands, each with a mean relative protein concentration of > 1 %, ranging from 8 to 47 kd, and a major protein component of approximately 14 kd that constituted up to 75% of the scute protein. The 2D IPG-PAGE revealed additional distinct 62- and 68-kd protein bands. On immunoblot analysis, the 14-, 32-, and 45-kd proteins reacted with both antisera. The 14-kd proteins had an amino acid composition similar to that of chicken beta keratins. There was a substantial difference in the percentage of the major 14-kd proteins from scute of ill tortoises with normal appearing shells, compared with 14-kd proteins of healthy tortoises. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The major protein components of shell scute of desert tortoises have amino acid composition and antigenic features of beta keratins. Scute protein composition may be altered in tortoises with certain systemic illnesses.

Animal Diseases↗
PubMed2001

Partial characterization of retroviruses from boid snakes with inclusion body disease.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize retroviruses isolated from boid snakes with inclusion body disease (IBD). ANIMALS: 2 boa constrictors with IBD and 1 boa exposed to an affected snake. PROCEDURE: Snakes were euthanatized, and tissue specimens and blood samples were submitted for virus isolation. Tissue specimens were cultured with or without commercially available viper heart cells and examined by use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for evidence of viral replication. Reverse transcriptase activ ty was determined in sucrose gradient-purified virus. Western blotting was performed, using polyclonal antibodies against 1 of the isolated viruses. Specificity of the rabbit anti-virus antibody was evaluated, using an immunogold-labeling TEM technique. RESULTS: 3 viruses (RV-1, RV-2, and RV-3) were isolated. The isolates were morphologically comparable to members of the Retroviridae family. Reverse transcriptase activity was high in sucrose gradient fractions that were rich in virus. Polyclonal antibody against RV-1 reacted with proteins of similar relative mobility in RV-1 and RV-2. By use of immunogold labeling, this antibody also recognized virions of both RV-1 and RV-2. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A retrovirus was isolated from boid snakes with IBD or exposed to IBD. Western blot analysis of viral proteins indicated that viruses isolated from the different snakes were similar. Whether this virus represents the causative agent of IBD is yet to be determined. The isolation of retroviruses from boid snakes with IBD is an important step n the process of identifying the causative agent of this disease.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Pathology of experimental mycoplasmosis in American alligators.

Mycoplasma alligatoris was the suspected etiology of an epidemic of acute multisystemic inflammatory disease which emerged in captive American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) in Florida (USA) in 1995. In an experimental inoculation study conducted from April through October 1999, 18 alligators were inoculated with 10(2), 10(4), or 10(6) colony forming units (CFU) of M. alligatoris by instillation into the glottis. As early as 1 wk post-inoculation (PI), mycoplasma were cultured from blood of three of six alligators inoculated with 10(6) CFU. Two of those died and the third was euthanatized within 4 wk PI. Necropsy gross findings included fibrinous polyserositis and polyarthritis. Histopathologic changes in affected individuals included pulmonary edema, interstitial pneumonia, pericarditis, myocarditis, meningitis, and synovitis. Mycoplasma were cultured quantitatively in high numbers from trachea, lung, coelomic cavity, liver, spleen, interior of pericardial sac, heart, blood, brain, and limb joints. In alligators inoculated with 10(6) CFU, heterophilia and moderate hyperglycemia peaked about 4 wk PI, and seroconversion occurred by 6 to 8 wk PI. Necropsy gross and histologic findings were generally unremarkable for the surviving alligators inoculated with 10(6) CFU, alligators inoculated with 10(2) or 10(4) CFU, and four uninoculated control alligators. Mycoplasma were not cultured at any time point from those alligators. The findings confirm that M. alligatoris can cause fulminant inflammatory disease and rapid death of alligators.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2000

Diseases of the respiratory tract of chelonians.

Diseases of the respiratory tract commonly occur in captive chelonians, and several diseases also have occurred in wild chelonians. Infectious causes include viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Herpesviruses have surfaced as important pathogens of the oral cavity and respiratory tract in Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanii), spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca), and other tortoises in Europe and the United States. Herpesvirus-associated respiratory diseases also have been reported in the green turtle, Chelonia mydas, in mariculture in the Cayman Islands. Of diseases caused by bacteria, an upper respiratory tract disease caused by Mycoplasma sp has been reported in free-hanging and captive gopher tortoises in the southeastern United States and in desert tortoises in the Mojave Desert of the southwestern United States. Mycotic pulmonary disease is commonly reported in captive chelonians, especially in those maintained at suboptimal temperatures. An intranuclear coccidia has been seen in several species of captive tortoises in the United States, and, in one case, a severe proliferative pneumonia was associated with organisms in the lung. The most common noninfectious cause of respiratory disease in chelonians results from trauma to the carapace. Although pulmonary fibromas commonly occur in green turtles with fibropapillomatosis, for the most part, tumors of the respiratory tract are uncommon in chelonians.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Morbidity and mortality associated with a new mycoplasma species from captive American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis).

Nine of 74 American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) from a captive Florida herd of 3-4-m-long, 200-350-kg, adult males greater than 30 yr of age died within a 10-day period during 1995. Nonspecific clinical signs included anorexia, lethargy, muscle weakness, paraparesis, bilateral white ocular discharge, and various degrees of periocular, facial, cervical, and limb edema. Pneumonia, pericarditis, and arthritis were found on postmortem evaluation of the spontaneously dead and euthanatized alligators. Rapidly growing mycoplasmas were identified by culture, and mycoplasma nucleotide sequences were identified by polymerase chain reaction testing of fresh lung and synovial fluid from an affected alligator. Culture of banked frozen lung from necropsy specimens and fresh lung and fresh synovial fluid from newly affected alligators confirmed the presence of a new mycoplasma species in seven of eight individuals. Oxytetracycline was administered, but related deaths continued for 6 mo until only 14 of the initial alligators remained. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect antibody was developed, and the organism was transmitted experimentally to naive juvenile alligators, although the source of the organism, Mycoplasma sp. (ATCC 700619), has not been identified. The alligator isolate is a novel species in the mycoplasma family because its nucleotide sequence does not match those of over 75 characterized mycoplasma species. Such factors as population density, animal age, and mycoplasmal virulence likely contributed to the course of disease.

Alligators and Crocodiles↗
PubMed2000

Pathology of upper respiratory tract disease of gopher tortoises in Florida.

Between August 1993 and September 1995, 24 gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) were received for pathological evaluations from various locations in Florida (USA). All tortoises were examined for clinical signs of upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) including nasal and ocular discharge, palpebral edema, and conjunctivitis. Of the 24 tortoises, 10 had current or previously observed clinical signs of URTD and 14 did not. A blood sample was drawn for detection of anti-mycoplasma antibodies by ELISA, and nasal lavage samples were collected for culture and detection of Mycoplasma agassizii gene sequences by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Of the 14 clinically healthy tortoises, eight were sero-, culture- and PCR-negative, and six were seropositive for antibodies against M. agassizii. Of those six, five were culture- and/or PCR-positive for M. agassizii, and one was culture- and PCR-negative. Of the 10 ill tortoises, nine were seropositive by the ELISA and one was in the suspect range. Nine of the ill tortoises, including the suspect tortoise, were culture- and/or PCR-positive for M. agassizii, and one was culture- and PCR-negative. For histologic evaluation and discussion, the eight sero-, culture-, and PCR-negative tortoises were designated URTD-negative, and the other 16 were classified as URTD-positive. Histologic evaluation of the upper respiratory tract (URT) indicated the presence of mild to severe inflammatory, hyperplastic, or dysplastic changes in 14 URTD-positive tortoises. Seven of eight URTD-negative tortoises had normal appearing nasal cavities; one had mild inflammatory changes. Transmission electron microscopy revealed an organism consistent with Mycoplasma spp. on the nasal mucosal surface of tortoises with clinical signs and lesions of URTD. Additionally, gram-negative bacteria were isolated more frequently from the nasal cavities of URTD-positive tortoises than URTD-negative tortoises. Because clinical signs of URTD were never observed in six of the URTD-positive tortoises, we also conclude that subclinical URTD can occur in gopher tortoises.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Persistent infectivity of a disease-associated herpesvirus in green turtles after exposure to seawater.

Herpesviruses are associated with several diseases of marine turtles including lung-eye-trachea disease (LETD) and gray patch disease (GPD) of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and fibropapillomatosis (FP) of green, loggerhead (Caretta caretta), and olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea). The stability of chelonian herpesviruses in the marine environment, which may influence transmission, has not been previously studied. In these experiments, LETD-associated herpesvirus (LETV) was used as a model chelonian herpesvirus to test viral infectivity after exposure to seawater. The LETV virus preparations grown in terrapene heart (TH-1) cells were dialyzed for 24 to 120 hr against aerated artificial or natural seawater or Hank's balanced salt solution (HBBS). Fresh TH-1 cells were inoculated with dialyzed LETV, and on day 10 post-infection cells were scored for cytopathic effect. Virus samples dialyzed up to 120 hr were positive for the herpesvirus DNA polymerase gene by polymerase chain reaction. Electron microscopy revealed intact LETV nucleocapsids after exposure of LETV to artificial seawater or HBSS for 24 hr at 23 C. LETV preparations remained infectious as long as 120 hr in natural and artificial seawater at 23 C. Similar results were obtained with a second culturable chelonian herpesvirus, HV2245. LETV infectivity could not be detected after 48 hr exposure to artificial seawater at 30 C. Since LETV and HV2245 remain infectious for extended periods of time in the marine environment, it is possible that FP-associated and GPD-associated herpesviruses also may be stable. These findings are significant both for researchers studying the epidemiological association of herpesviruses with diseases of marine turtles and for individuals who handle turtles in marine turtle conservation efforts.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Association of herpesvirus with fibropapillomatosis of the green turtle Chelonia mydas and the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta in Florida.

Sea turtle fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a disease marked by proliferation of benign but debilitating cutaneous fibropapillomas and occasional visceral fibromas. Transmission experiments have implicated a chloroform-sensitive transforming agent present in filtered cell-free tumor homogenates in the etiology of FP. In this study, consensus primer PCR methodology was used to test the association of a chelonian herpesvirus with fibropapillomatosis. Fibropapilloma and skin samples were obtained from 17 green and 2 loggerhead turtles affected with FP stranded along the Florida coastline. Ninety-three cutaneous and visceral tumors from the 19 turtles, and 33 skin samples from 16 of the turtles, were tested. All turtles affected with FP had herpesvirus associated with their tumors as detected by PCR. Ninety-six percent (89/93) of the tumors, but only 9% (3/33) of the skin samples, from affected turtles contained detectable herpesvirus. The skin samples that contained herpesvirus were all within 2 cm of a fibropapilloma. Also, 1 of 11 scar tissue samples from sites where fibropapillomas had been removed 2 to 51 wk earlier from 5 green turtles contained detectable herpesvirus. None of 18 normal skin samples from 2 green and 2 loggerhead turtles stranded without FP contained herpesvirus. The data indicated that herpesvirus was detectable only within or close to tumors. To determine if the same virus infected both turtle species, partial nucleotide sequences of the herpesvirus DNA polymerase gene were determined from 6 loggerhead and 2 green turtle samples. The sequences predicted that herpesvirus of loggerhead turtles differed from those of green turtles by only 1 of 60 amino acids in the sequence examined, indicating that a chelonian herpesvirus exhibiting minor intratypic variation was the only herpesvirus present in tumors of both green and loggerhead turtles. The FP-associated herpesvirus resisted cultivation on chelonian cell lines which support the replication of other chelonian herpesviruses. These results lead to the conclusion that a chelonian herpesvirus is regularly associated with fibropapillomatosis and is not merely an incidental finding in affected turtles.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Isolation and experimental transmission of a reovirus pathogenic in ratsnakes (Elaphe species).

A reovirus was isolated from juvenile Moellendorff's ratsnakes (Elaphe moellendorffi) and beauty snakes (Elaphe taenuris) that died soon after importation into the USA. Viper heart (VH2) cells inoculated with tissue homogenates showed cytopathic effects consisting of large syncytia formation followed by cell detachment from the monolayer. Tissue culture supernatants failed to hemagglutinate guinea pig and chicken erythrocytes at room temperature. Electron microscopy of purified virions revealed spherical to icosahedral particles measuring 70-85 nm in diameter with a double capsid layer. Preparations of the viral genome contained ten segments of dsRNA when analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A juvenile black ratsnake (Elaphe obsoleta obsoleta) was experimentally inoculated with the isolate and was found dead 26 days post inoculation. Necropsy revealed diffuse subacute interstitial pneumonia with respiratory epithelial cell hyperplasia and syncytia. Reovirus isolated from this snake was used to inoculate another juvenile black ratsnake which was euthanized 40 days post inoculation. Pneumonia and multifocal subacute proliferative tracheitis were found on necropsy. Reovirus was isolated from the lung of this snake and was demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy. This is the first documentation of a pathogenic reptile reovirus and the first report of experimental transmission of a reovirus in snakes.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Upper respiratory tract disease in the gopher tortoise is caused by Mycoplasma agassizii.

Upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) has been observed in a number of tortoise species, including the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) and the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus). Clinical signs of URTD in gopher tortoises are similar to those in desert tortoises and include serous, mucoid, or purulent discharge from the nares, excessive tearing to purulent ocular discharge, conjunctivitis, and edema of the eyelids and ocular glands. The objectives of the present study were to determine if Mycoplasma agassizii was an etiologic agent of URTD in the gopher tortoise and to determine the clinical course of the experimental infection in a dose-response infection study. Tortoises were inoculated intranasally with 0.5 ml (0.25 ml/nostril) of either sterile SP4 broth (control group; n = 10) or 10(8) color-changing units (CCU) (total dose) of M. agassizii 723 (experimental infection group; n = 9). M. agassizii caused clinical signs compatible with those observed in tortoises with natural infections. Clinical signs of URTD were evident in seven of nine experimentally infected tortoises by 4 weeks postinfection (p.i.) and in eight of nine experimentally infected tortoises by 8 weeks p.i. In the dose-response experiments, tortoises were inoculated intranasally with a low (10(1) CCU; n = 6), medium (10(3) CCU; n = 6), or high (10(5) CCU; n = 5) dose of M. agassizii 723 or with sterile SP4 broth (n = 10). At all time points p.i. in both experiments, M. agassizii could be isolated from the nares of at least 50% of the tortoises. All of the experimentally infected tortoises seroconverted, and levels of antibody were statistically higher in infected animals than in control animals for all time points of >4 weeks p.i. (P < 0.0001). Control tortoises in both experiments did not show clinical signs, did not seroconvert, and did not have detectable M. agassizii by either culture or PCR at any point in the study. Histological lesions were compatible with those observed in tortoises with natural infections. The numbers of M. agassizii 723 did not influence the clinical expression of URTD or the antibody response, suggesting that the strain chosen for these studies was highly virulent. On the basis of the results of the transmission studies, we conclude that M. agassizii is an etiologic agent of URTD in the gopher tortoise.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Comparative pathology and pathogenesis of spontaneous and experimentally induced fibropapillomas of green turtles (Chelonia mydas).

Tumor biopsy samples from 25 Floridian and 15 Hawaiian green turtles (Chelonia mydas) with spontaneous green turtle fibropapillomatosis (GTFP) and from 27 captive-reared green turtles with experimentally induced GTFP were examined microscopically to differentiate the histologic features that result from GTFP pathogenesis and those that result from incidental factors that may vary according to geographic region. Common histologic features for spontaneous and experimentally induced tumors included fibroblast proliferation in the superficial dermis, epidermal acanthosis and hyperkeratosis, epidermal basal cell degeneration with dermal-epidermal cleft formation, spinous layer degeneration with intraepidermal vesicle and pustule formation, and ulceration. Visceral tumors, found in eight of 10 (80%) free-ranging turtles with cutaneous disease that were examined after death, had extensive interstitial fibrous proliferation. The presence of spirorchid trematode eggs and associated foreign body granulomas, common secondary findings within spontaneous tumors, varied by geographic location, and these findings were not observed in experimentally induced tumors. Eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions and intranuclear herpesvirus-associated antigen immunoreactivity were found in 18 of 38 (47%) experimentally induced cutaneous tumors and nine of 119 (7.5%) spontaneous tumors from Floridian but not Hawaiian turtles. The possible involvement of GTFP-associated herpesvirus in the pathogenesis of epidermal degenerative changes and GTFP pathogenesis is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Morphologic, cytochemical staining, and ultrastructural characteristics of blood cells from eastern diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate light microscopic, cytochemical, and ultrastructural characteristics of blood cells from eastern diamondback rattlesnakes. ANIMALS: 10 healthy snakes. PROCEDURE: Various stains, including Wright-Giemsa, benzidine peroxidase, Sudan black B, chloroacetate esterase, alpha-naphthyl butyrate esterase, acid phosphatase, leukocyte alkaline phosphatase, periodic acid-Schiff with diastase, and toluidine blue, were used to stain leukocytes differentially on multiple blood smears. Electron microscopy also was performed. RESULTS: Lymphocytes were the most commonly observed leukocyte and could be distinguished from thrombocytes, using periodic acid-Schiff stain with diastase. Azurophils also were commonly observed; their granules stained with peroxidase. Eosinophils were not identified; however, 2 morphologic variations of heterophils were seen in the blood of all snakes and were considered the same cell type at different stages of cytoplasmic granule development. Heterophil granules were better preserved, using a one-step Wright-Giemsa method that did not require alcohol fixation prior to staining. Degranulated heterophils were observed in all preparations. CONCLUSIONS: Most leukocytes of eastern diamondback rattlesnakes can be identified easily on Wright-Giemsa-stained preparations. However, hematologic stains that do not require alcohol fixing prior to staining may be preferred for leukocyte evaluation in certain reptiles. A limited degree of heterophil maturation may continue in the blood of healthy snakes. This, along with degranulation of heterophils, may result in a variable staining pattern in this cell type, regardless of the stain used. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results provide baseline data for use in hematologic testing in diagnosis of disease and monitoring of treatment of sick or injured snakes.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Persistence of maternal antibodies against Mycoplasma agassizii in desert tortoise hatchlings.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate Mycoplasma agassizii-specific maternal antibodies in desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) hatchlings. SAMPLE POPULATION: Plasma from 43 captive-reared desert tortoise hatchlings. PROCEDURE: ELISA for M agassizii-specific antibodies was performed. Four hatchlings from 4 clutches of 3 M agassizii-seropositive females with chronic upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) were tested on the day of hatching (set 1), and 20 hatchlings from 4 clutches of 4 M agassizii-seropositive females with URTD and 19 hatchlings from 4 M agassizii-seronegative healthy females were tested at 4, 8, 12, and 29 months old (set 2). Immunoblot analysis was performed to determine immunoglobulin classes in yolk and plasma of hatchlings. To determine infection status of hatchlings, yolk, egg shell membranes (set 1), and nasal lavage fluid (sets 1 and 2) were examined for M agassizii by use of polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Yolk and hatchling plasma had significantly lower amounts of specific antibodies than did plasma from adult females. The IgG and IgM antibodies were transferred, but M agassizii-specific antibodies were of the IgG class. Hatchlings were not infected with mycoplasmas. Offspring of sick females had significantly higher specific antibody titers than did offspring of healthy females. Titers were still significantly different in 1-year-old hatchlings. CONCLUSIONS: Desert tortoise females transfer specific IgG and IgM antibodies to their offspring that are still detectable after 1 year. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Infection with M agassizii may be misdiagnosed in hatchlings with persistent maternal antibodies. Passively acquired antibodies may have a role in pathogenesis of mycoplasma-induced respiratory tract disease and other diseases.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Inclusion body disease in two captive Australian pythons (Morelia spilota variegata and Morelia spilota spilota).

Two captive Australian pythons, one carpet and one diamond python, presented with signs of central nervous system dysfunction. The carpet python was agitated. Its head was tilting and it was incoordinated and had convulsions. It was treated with antibiotics and anthelmintics but was eventually euthanased after failing to respond to therapy. The diamond python had flaccid paralysis of the caudal half. It was not treated and became disoriented and died. Hepatocytes from both pythons contained irregular 2 to 10 micron eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies. The brain of the diamond python was not available for examination. Occasional neurones in the carpet python brain contained similar inclusion bodies and other changes suggestive of viral infection. The clinical signs and histopathological findings in both pythons were consistent with boid inclusion body disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Pathology of diseases in wild desert tortoises from California.

Twenty-four ill or dead desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) were received between March 1992 and July 1995 for necropsies from the Mojave and Colorado deserts of California (USA). Diseases observed in these animals included cutaneous dyskeratosis (n = 7); shell necrosis (n = 2); respiratory diseases (n = 7); urolithiasis (n = 3); and trauma (n = 5). In tortoises with cutaneous dyskeratosis the horn layer of shell was disrupted by multiple crevices and fissures and, in the most severe lesions, dermal bone showed osteoclastic resorption, remodeling, and osteopenia. In tortoises with shell necrosis, multiple foci of necrotic cell debris and heterophilic inflammation within the epidermal horn layer were subtended by necrotic dermal bone colonized by bacteria and fungi. Of the seven tortoises with respiratory disease, five were diagnosed with mycoplasmosis. The diagnosis of mycoplasmosis was based on the presence of chronic proliferative rhinitis and positive serologic tests and/or isolation of Mycoplasma sp. Chronic fungal pneumonia was diagnosed in one tortoise with respiratory disease. In the three tortoises with urolithiasis, two were discovered dead, and the live tortoise had renal and articular gout. Traumatic injuries consisted of one tortoise entombed within its burrow, one tortoise burned in a brush fire, two tortoises struck by moving vehicles, and one tortoise attacked by a predator. While the primary cause of illness could be attributed to one or two major disease processes, lesions were often found in multiple organ systems, and a variety of etiologies were responsible for morbidity and mortality.

Animal Diseases↗
PubMed1998

Systemic microsporidiosis in inland bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps).

One laboratory-hatched and -reared inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) (No. 1) and two privately owned inland bearded dragons (Nos. 2 and 3) died, showing nonspecific signs of illness. Light microscopic examination of hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissue sections from lizard No. 1 revealed severe hepatic necrosis with clusters of light basophilic intracytoplasmic microorganisms packing and distending hepatocytes and free in areas of necrosis. Similar microorganisms were within cytoplasmic vacuoles in distended renal epithelial cells, pulmonary epithelial cells, gastric mucosal epithelial cells, enterocytes, and capillary endothelial cells and ventricular ependymal cells in the brain. In lizard Nos. 2 and 3, microorganisms of similar appearance were in macrophages in granulomatous inflammation in the colon, adrenal glands, and ovaries. The microorganism was gram positive and acid fast and had a small polar granule that stained using the periodic acid-Schiff reaction. Electron microscopic examination of deparaffinized liver of lizard No. 1 revealed merogonic and sporogonic stages of a protozoan compatible with members of the phylum Microspora. This report provides the first description of microsporidiosis in bearded dragons and is only the second report of this infection in a lizard.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

A novel Mycoplasma sp. associated with proliferative tracheitis and pneumonia in a Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus).

Proliferative lymphocytic tracheitis and pneumonia were observed histologically in the respiratory tract of a captive Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus). A mycoplasma species was isolated from the respiratory tissue. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence of the isolate showed 0.90 similarity to Mycoplasma agassizii, an organism previously shown to cause respiratory disease in reptiles. Based on these findings, a novel Mycoplasma species was suspected to be the causative agent of respiratory disease in this snake.

Animals↗