Rachel E Marschang

Laboklin GmbH | LABOKLIN

Environmental pollutants and their effect on wildlife health play an important role in the conservation of endangered species and can be clinically relevant in captive animals too. Data on relevant concentrations of trace elements in captive birds with no known exposures are rare. For this study, silver, arsenic, gold, barium, cadmium, cobalt, chro...

(1) Background: Devriesea (D.) agamarum is a potential cause of dermatitis and cheilitis in lizards. The aim of this study was to establish a real-time PCR assay for the detection of D. agamarum. (2) Methods: Primers and probe were selected targeting the 16S rRNA gene, using sequences of 16S rRNA genes of D. agamarum as well as of other bacterial s...

Reovirus infections in reptiles are frequently detected and associated with various clinical diseases; yet, our knowledge about their genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships remains limited. In this study, we characterize at the genomic level five reptile origin orthoreovirus strains isolated from exotic snakes and lizards in Hungary and G...

Boletin de la Asociacion herpetologica Española. (2022). 33. 187-191. Estado sanitario de una población introducida de tortuga mediterránea (Testudo hermanni) en la Sierra del Montsant (Tarragona. Deteccion de Picornavirus y Mycoplasma. Fecha de aceptación: 7 de diciembre de 2022.

Background: Nidoviruses are increasingly detected in various snake species worldwide, but much remains to be learned about their distribution and the factors influencing their epidemiology. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the results of routine nidovirus testing, by PCR, of 5210 swab samples from pet snakes from various European coun...

In the early 2000s, numerous cases of European amphibian population declines and mass die-offs started to emerge. Investigating those events led to the discovery that wild European amphibians were confronted with grave disease threats caused by introduced pathogens, namely the amphibian and the salamander chytrid fungi Batrachochytrium dendrobatidi...

Hematology is an important tool for the veterinary evaluation of reptiles. At this time, there is limited data on hematological reference intervals and physiological factors that influence hematological values in many reptile species, including the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans). The goal of this study was to establish subspecies spec...

The greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is often maintained in managed care. Although values for plasma concentrations of minerals and vitamins have been published for this species, limited studies investigate the effects of diet changes on these values. Plasma concentrations of selected vitamins (A [and the provitamin A carotenoid b-carotene]...

Herpesviruses are important pathogens of tortoises, and several serologically and genetically distinct virus types have been described in these animals. Virus neutralization testing is commonly used in Europe to determine previous infection with the two types most often found in pet European tortoises, testudinid herpesvirus (TeHV) 1 and 3. In this...

Invasive Batrachochythrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been detected in wild amphibians in central Europe in numerous cases. Ranaviruses have also been described, although less frequently. There are, however, still large gaps in our understanding of the influence of these pathogens on specific populations. The natterjack toad is an endangered species in...

Reference intervals for clinical chemistry analytes are important for the interpretation of blood results, but reference intervals available in journal articles for specific flamingo collections are often based on a small number of individuals or are only available for a limited number of analytes. Differences in husbandry and nutritional condition...

Thyroid hormones and the factors influencing them are rarely studied in tortoises. This study therefore aimed to calculate reference intervals (RI) for thyroid hormones and iodine concentrations by species, sexes, and seasons in four species of adult Mediterranean tortoises (Testudo spp.), and to evaluate possible correlations between plasma thyroi...

Serpentoviruses (order Nidovirales) are an important cause of respiratory disease in snakes. Although transmission studies have shown that serpentoviruses can cause respiratory disease in pythons, the possible role of additional potential pathogens is not yet understood. Very little information is available on the role of mycoplasma and chlamydia i...

In spring 2020, a severe disease outbreak with high morbidity and mortality was observed in a collection of 15 Horsfield’s tortoises (Testudo horsfieldii). Affected tortoises showed upper respiratory- and gastrointestinal tract signs, including rhinitis and stomatitis. Testudinid herpesvirus 1 (TeHV1) and Mycoplasma spp. were detected by PCR in ora...

Diputació Barcelona. Presentation on sanitary status of amphibians in general and Montseny brook salamander in particular in Montseny Natural Park in the period 2015 - 2020 . New description of presence of the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in wild amphibians, detection of bacteria Chlamydia in a ilegal collection as well as a trematoda cyst...

We report the first cases of mortality in anurans associated with the presence of the fungus Batra-chochytrium dendrobatidis at four different localities from Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula, Spain). All cases were confirmed by both molecular techniques and histology. The infected individuals were two Mediterranean painted frogs (Discoglossus pictu...

In this study, we describe two novel adenoviruses isolated from (i) a common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) found dead and examined post-mortem and (ii) pooled samples from free-living sand lizards (Lacerta agilis agilis). Sequencing indicated the two were closely related atadenovirus strains which were distinct from previously recorded adenoviruses in...

Objective: To compare mineral types of naturally occurring uroliths in ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) from North America, Europe, and Asia and to identify potential risk factors associated with cystine urolithiasis in ferrets. Samples: 1,054 laboratory submission records of uroliths obtained from ferrets between January 1, 2010, and December 31...

Herpesviruses are important pathogens in tortoises and turtles, yet little is known about the epidemiology of these viruses. We analyzed herpesviruses detected by PCR in samples from captive chelonians in Europe according to virus strain, host species, year and season in which the animal was tested, and country in which the animal was kept. A total...

Although reptiles have often been overlooked in research, information on viruses of reptiles has been growing steadily in recent decades as has our understanding of the importance of these animals in the ecosystem. As ectotherms, their immune systems are dependent on temperature, among other factors, and interactions between infection and disease a...

Electrophoresis can be used to aid in the diagnosis of infectious diseases (eg, aspergillosis) in avian species. Reference intervals for blood plasma proteins of 2 different flamingo species (Phoenicopterus roseus and Phoenicopterus ruber) and their hybrids were calculated by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and differences between these specie...

While herpesviruses are well-known pathogens in a wide variety of chelonian species, they have only sporadically been documented in squamate reptiles. Those that have been described have most often been associated with hepatic disease and oral lesions. During a study on infectious disease in pet reptiles in Poland, herpesviruses were detected in sw...

Methods for the detection of pathogens associated with respiratory disease in reptiles, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites, are constantly evolving as is the understanding of the specific roles played by various pathogens in disease processes. Some are known to be primary pathogens with high prevalence in captive reptiles, for exampl...

A mass mortality in alpine newts (Ichthyosaura alpestris veluchiensis) was observed in May/June 2013, in Drakolimni lake on Smolikas Mountain, Northwest Greece. 1300 alpine newts were found dead in two events. In 1998 a similar incident was recorded in the nearby lake of Timfi Mt. Newts of every stage and sex were affected, presenting incoordinatio...

Adenoviruses have been regularly detected in squamate reptiles; evidence of infection in chelonians is described much less frequently. The adenoviruses found in turtles and tortoises have been genetically diverse, and have included members of the genus Siadenovirus, a proposed testadenovirus genus, and, in a single case, an Atadenovirus. In this st...

Clinical health checks including blood testing before brumation in fall are an important tool in reptile medicine and help to reduce the risk of complications during brumation. Electrophoresis may be useful for the evaluation of liver cell function and the detection of antigenic stimulation. The goal of this study was to compare species-specific re...

Intracellular epidermal inclusions were detected within histological sections of skin biopsies from two panther chameleons (Furcifer pardalis) with chronic cheilitis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the abundant presence of icosahedral intracytoplasmic and intranuclear viral particles in infected keratinocytes, with an average diam...

In order to advance understanding of the current infection status related to the presence of Batrachochytrium spp. in different populations, we tested for the presence/absence (qualitative analysis) of Bd and Bsal in 13 monitored populations and measured the Bd infection loads (quantitative analysis) of 16 populations of the Pyrenean Brook Newt in...

This study determined the passage time and phage propagation time of salmonella specific phages, Felix O1 and S16, in 10 bearded dragons, based on re‐isolation from cloacal swabs and faecal samples following oral administration, as a possible tool for reducing salmonella shedding. In Study 1, Felix O1 was administered orally for 12 consecutive days...

Introduction Bacterial pathogens are often involved in dermatitis in reptiles. Exact identification of reptile-specific but otherwise uncommon bacterial species may be challenging. However, identification is crucial to evaluate the importance of the detected bacterial species. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the number of aerobic bac...

Ranaviruses are large double stranded DNA viruses from the family Iridoviridae. They are globally distributed and are currently known to affect fish, reptiles and amphibians. In North America, ranaviruses are also widely distributed, and cause frequent morbidity and mortality events in both wild and cultured populations. This is a synopsys of the N...

Reptarenaviruses infect a variety of boid and pythonid snake species worldwide and have been shown to be the cause of inclusion body disease (IBD). Little is known about the correlations between virus infection and clinical disease, as well as the effects of viral infection on the immune system and the blood protein fractions. The goal of this stud...

were measured using standardized autoanalyzer test systems; tT3 was measured by ELISA and iodine by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Total protein was quantitated using the biuret method, and plasma protein fractions were meas- ured using capillary zone electrophoresis. Results: The results showed significant variations in thyroid horm...

Zusammenfassung Viren können bei Reptilien bedeutende Krankheitserreger sein. In den letzten Jahren wurden auch zunehmend neue Viren bei Reptilien beschrieben. Zudem gibt es immer mehr Möglichkeiten, Virusinfektionen bei Reptilien nachzuweisen. Dieser Übersichtsartikel bietet einen Überblick über häufige und bedeutende Virusinfektionen bei Reptilie...

Zusammenfassung Gegenstand und Ziel Bakterielle Hautinfektionen kommen bei Reptilien häufig vor. Obwohl viele dieser Infektionen durch multifaktorielle Probleme verursacht werden, ist eine spezifische Behandlung nötig. Ziel der Studie war, das Keimspektrum und die Resistenzlage von aeroben Bakterien in Hautläsionen von Reptilien zu untersuchen. Mat...

A group of eight Wagler's pit vipers (Tropidolaemus wagleri) from a private collection died with respiratory signs within 6 mo of one another. The group consisted of an adult breeding pair that was wild caught and six offspring from this pair. Four of the dead snakes were submitted for gross and histopathology. Signs of bacterial pneumonia were det...

Inclusion body disease (IBD) is caused by reptarenaviruses and constitutes one of the most notorious viral diseases in snakes. Although central nervous system disease and various other clinical signs have been attributed to IBD in boid and pythonid snakes, studies that unambiguously reveal the clinical course of natural IBD and reptarenavirus infec...

The discovery and characterization of novel arthropod-borne viruses provide valuable information on their genetic diversity, ecology, evolution and potential to threaten animal or public health. Arbovirus surveillance is not conducted regularly in Romania, being particularly very scarce in the remote and diverse areas like the Danube Delta. Here we...

The original report: https://talk.ictvonline.org/ictv-reports/ictv_online_report/dsdna-viruses/w/iridoviridae SUMMARY: Members of the family Iridoviridae comprise a collection of large icosahedral, double-stranded DNA (dsDNA)-containing viruses that are classified into two subfamilies: Alphairidovirinae and Betairidovirinae (Table 1.Iridoviridae)....

The metabolism of tortoises is influenced by many factors, which in turn also influences the clinical chemistry parameters in these animals. There are currently limited data available on species, sex, and season-specific reference intervals. The goal of this study was to establish new reference intervals for adult Hermann's tortoises (Testudo herma...

Between 2017 and 2019, and especially in coincidence with the detection of the fungus Batrachochitrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) in the amphibians of the Montnegre Natral Park, there has been an increase in the sanitary analysis of detection of this and other pathogenic microorganisms in all around Catalonia. A total of 1227 animals of 20species have...

In March 2018, was detected the first positive of the fungus Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans in the Montnegre Park in an exotic amphibian (Triturus anatolicus). Since then, among other control measures, exotic amphibians (Triturus anatolicus and Ycthiosaura alpestris) and native (Triturus marmoratus and 2 Salamandra salamandra) were removed from...

Electrophoresis is a useful diagnostic tool for the detection of shifts in plasma protein fractions, which can be associated with a variety of diseases. This method is not often used in reptile medicine because there are only a few studies available and no reference intervals have been published for most species. The goal of this study was to estab...

Background: Ferlaviruses are important pathogens in snakes often associated with respiratory and neurological disease. The detection of ferlaviral RNA by PCR is considered to be the most reliable method for the diagnosis of infection. The PCRs that have been used most commonly for this purpose have not been properly assessed to determine their sen...

Invertebrate iridoviruses (IIVs), while mostly described in a wide range of invertebrate hosts, have also been repeatedly detected in diagnostic samples from poikilothermic vertebrates including reptiles and amphibians. Since iridoviruses from invertebrate and vertebrate hosts differ strongly from one another based not only on host range but also o...

Ferlaviruses are important pathogens in snakes and other reptiles. They cause respiratory and neurological disease in infected animals and can cause severe disease outbreaks. Isolates from this genus can be divided into four genogroups–A, B, and C, as well as a more distantly related sister group, “tortoise”. Sequences from large portions (5.3 kb)...

Se describen dos casos clínicos en anfibios cuya muerte o enfermedad está vinculada a esta infección. Ambos casos se realizaron en un centro oficial disponiendo de la autorización para manejar fauna salvaje. El PCR cualitativo nos permite una rápida detección del patógeno y por tanto confirmar posibles portadores asintomáticos, si bien no implica n...

Background Inclusion body disease (IBD) is a disease of snakes with a global distribution and has recently been shown to be caused by reptarenaviruses. Testing for this group of viruses in asymptomatic snakes allows the association between infection and disease to be further elucidated. Methods A reptarenavirus was detected by RT‐PCR in a reticula...

Adenoviruses are medium-sized DNA viruses with very high host fidelity. The phylogenetic relationships of the adenoviruses strongly resemble that of their hosts, consistent with evolutionary codivergence. The genus Atadenovirus appears to have evolved in squamate hosts. Perhaps the best known of the squamate adenoviruses is Agamid adenovirus 1 (AgA...

Conference paper

Sand lizard decline in the UK The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis agilis) is one of the UK's rarest reptiles, and the UK's only native egg-laying lizard. It can be found on sandy heathland habitats and sand dunes, and is occasionally spotted basking on bare patches of sand, hence their name. Sand lizards are now confined to a few sites as habitat destr...

Between June and October 2013, 26 snakes of six viperid species kept in two adjoining rooms died (n= 16) or were euthanized on medical (1) or welfare grounds (9). Two were from the main zoo collection, but the other 24 had been imported and quarantined for a minimum of 6 mo. Four of those that died and the single snake euthanized on medical grounds...

Objective: The goal of this study was to establish reference intervals for blood parameters in rabbits based on data from routine diagnostic samples. Materials and methods: Data sets from 1679-2039 values for clinical chemistry and 937-1559 values for hematological parameters were evaluated using the statistical program Reference Limit Estimator...

Guinea pigs with a total thyroxine (TT4) value >66.9 nmol/l (>5.2 µg/dl) were selected from the database of a private diagnostic laboratory. The submitting veterinarians were sent standardized questionnaires in order to assess background information on clinical signs, therapy and the success of the therapy in these cases. Information from 40 cases...

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) is an important cause of disease and mortality in wild and domestic European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) throughout the world. Testing for 2 distinct RHD virus types (RHDV/RHDVa and RHDV2) was carried out on samples collected from 684 rabbits submitted from veterinary practices and private owners throughout Euro...