Secondary ivermectin poisoning in South American green snakes ( Philodryas baroni )

A REVIEW OF MORTALITY IN TENTACLED SNAKES (ERPETON TENTACULATUM) IN A MULTI-INSTITUTION ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTION BETWEEN 1966 AND 2017

The tentacled snake (Erpeton tentaculatum) is a viviparous aquatic snake that is a desirable species to exhibit in zoological collections because of its unique appearance and feeding strategies. Despite its presence in zoo collections over the past 50 yr, a comprehensive review of mortality and morbidity in the species has not been published. This study retrospectively reviewed 125 pathology reports from tentacled snakes in a multi-institution zoological collection in New York (The Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx and Central Park zoos) between 1966 and 2017. Just over half of the deaths were due to infectious disease (n = 67; 53.6%), and of these, over half (n = 40; 59.7%) were due to fungal dermatitis. Fungal histomorphology was consistent with Paranannizziopsis spp. in most cases. Death due to bacterial infection was also relatively common (n = 21; 16.8%), and one-third had intralesional bacilli consistent with Mycobacterium spp. (n = 7; 5.6%). The most common comorbidities included gastrointestinal parasitism (n = 44; 35.2%), renal pathology (n = 31; 24.8%), and lipid accumulation of hepatocytes (n = 13; 10.4%). This retrospective review suggests that managing infectious diseases plays a role in the long-term care and survival of captive tentacled snakes.

Successful treatment of Ophionyssus natricis with afoxolaner in two Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus)

The efficacy of afoxolaner was evaluated in two captive Burmese python snakes, which were naturally infested with Ophionyssus natricis mites. The administration of a single oral dose of afoxolaner eliminated live O. natricis mites from both snakes by Day 3. Environmental samples collected from the snakes' terrariums were negative for dead mites by Day 30.

RETROSPECTIVE EVALUATION OF A NOVEL SUSTAINED-RELEASE IVERMECTIN VARNISH FOR TREATMENT OF WOUND MYIASIS IN ZOO-HOUSED ANIMALS

Myiasis is a major disease condition in human and veterinary medicine. Domestic, free-ranging, and zoo-housed animals can be severely affected by myiasis. Depending on case severity, multiple treatment episodes may be indicated and can lead to recurrent capturing, handling stress, and anesthetics, all of which increase the risk of adverse responses (including death) individually and also in the herd. As an insecticide, ivermectin is often used for larval control. A total of 28 individual myiasis cases were retrospectively evaluated, out of which 11 cases were also treated using an ivermectin sustained-release varnish (SRV). The clinical outcome of all cases was assessed and the results suggest that the use of a topical ivermectin SRV (with or without concurrent injectable ivermectin) can reduce handling and treatments, has no adverse effects, and has minimal recurrence of the disease when compared with cases treated without it.