1.
J Comp Pathol
; 210: 5-7, 2024 Apr.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38458014
ABSTRACT
Mycotic lesions of the skin of snakes are often associated with the fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, but other pathogens can cause similar signs. A skin sample from a wild Nikolsky's viper (Vipera berus nikolskii) with dermal lesions was collected in eastern Ukraine. A pure fungal culture was obtained and identified using nucleotide sequence analysis as the entomopathogenic species Beauveria bassiana sensu lato. Although Beauveria spp are considered to be non-pathogenic in vertebrates, sporadic infections have been reported. This report highlights the need to explore various pathogens when diagnosing the cause of snake integumentary lesions.