Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Eastern Ratsnake

Fungal Disease Awareness Week continues with Snake Fungal Disease (SFD)!

Lesions like those seen on the eastern ratsnake patient above are the most common sign of SFD, a contagious fungal infection caused by Ophidiomyces Ophidiicola.

This infection is often fatal in many snake species, but we do attempt treatment in many cases and many of our treated snakes survive and can be released.

Like many diseases, this organism is spread from direct contact or a contaminated environment, highlighting the importance of biosecurity. This is one of many reasons why it is not legal to relocate snakes (or any wild animals in Virginia). Relocating snakes can expose naïve populations and cause massive population losses.

At Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, we see 6-12 snakes each year with this fungal infection and they are treated with nebulized antifungal medications to fight the organism in the lungs and on the skin.

This takes MONTHS and we typically nebulize these patients for at least 4-8 weeks after resolution of clinical signs to minimize the risk of them being released while still carrying the organism on their skin. That said, they are of course released to their exact found location. This means that they will not be introducing the organism to a new area if still carrying and yes, they could be exposed again as the organism is known to be in that area.

We are also participating in a study through George Mason University looking at this fungal organism as well as the microbiome of our snake patients’ skin and how that may impact susceptibility to infection.

We swab the skin regularly before, during, and after treatment to help assess these infections, microbiomes, and response to treatment.

Fungal infections can wreak havoc on populations, but better understanding the progression of disease and response to treatment will hopefully help us mitigate this specific disease in the future!

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