Cryptosporidium is an important pathogen causing gastrointestinal disease in snakes and is distributed worldwide. The main objective s of this study were to detect and identify Cryptosporidium species in captive snakes from exotic pet shops and snake farms in Thailand. In total, 165 fecal samples were examined from 8 snake species, boa constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor), corn snake (Elaphe guttata), ball python (Python regius), milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum), king snake (Lampropeltis getula), rock python (Python sebae), rainbow boa (Epicrates cenchria), and carpet python (Morelia spilota). Cryptosporidium oocysts were examined using the dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-modified acid-fast staining and a molecular method based on nested-PCR, PCR-RFLP analysis, and sequencing amplification of the SSU rRNA gene. DMSO-modified acid-fast staining revealed the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in 12 out of 165 (7.3%) samples, whereas PCR produced positive results in 40 (24.2%) samples. Molecular characterization indicated the presence of Cryptosporidium parvum (mouse genotype) as the most common species in 24 samples (60%) from 5 species of snake followed by Cryptosporidium serpentis in 9 samples (22.5%) from 2 species of snake and Cryptosporidium muris in 3 samples (7.5%) from P. regius.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Cryptosporidium spp. in reptiles: Detection challenges, molecular characterization and zoonotic risk Mariana Louro, Laura Hernandez, João Antunes, Luís Madeira de Carvalho, Isabel Pereira da Fonseca, Jacinto Gomes Food and Waterborne Parasitology.2025; 40: e00272. CrossRef
Minimal zoonotic risk of cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis from frogs and reptiles Siobhon Egan, Amanda D. Barbosa, Yaoyu Feng, Lihua Xiao, Una Ryan European Journal of Protistology.2024; 93: 126066. CrossRef
Cryptosporidium spp. in captive snakes from 26 provinces in China: Prevalence, molecular characterization, and symptoms Yilei Zhang, Zhenxiao Lu, Lingru He, Guodong Xiao, Lijie Tian, Jiawei Zhu, Tian Liu, Qiangxin Ou, Haibo Chen, Yew Hwong, Yangjun Kang, Qianming Xu, Qingxun Zhang, Congshan Yang Parasite.2024; 31: 47. CrossRef
Investigation of Parasitic Infection in Crocodile Lizards (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) Using High-Throughput Sequencing Yongru Zeng, Yi Xiong, Chunsheng Yang, Nan He, Jiasong He, Wenxian Luo, Yaohuan Chen, Xiaochen Zeng, Zhengjun Wu Animals.2022; 12(20): 2726. CrossRef
Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Cryptosporidium serpentis in Captive Snakes in China Yijun Chai, Haifeng Liu, Lei Deng, Bo Bi, Jingxin Yao, Xingtao Yang, Zhijun Zhong, Hualin Fu, Liuhong Shen, Ziyao Zhou, Yi Geng, Guangneng Peng Journal of Parasitology.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Evaluation of Paromomycin Treatment for Cryptosporidium serpentis Infection in Eastern Indigo Snakes (Drymarchon couperi) James E. Bogan, Michelle Hoffman, Falicia Dickerson, Mark A. Mitchell, Michael M. Garner, April Childress, James F.X. Wellehan Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Detection and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium species in wild-caught pet spiny-tailed lizards Rie Kubota, Toshihiro Tokiwa, Katsuki Matsubara, Minoru Okamoto, Kazunori Ike International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife.2020; 11: 83. CrossRef
The first genetic assessment of wild and farmed ball pythons (Reptilia, Serpentes, Pythonidae) in southern Togo Mark Auliya, Sylvia Hofmann, Gabriel H. Segniagbeto, Délagnon Assou, Delphine Ronfot, Jonas J. Astrin, Sophia Forat, Guillaume Koffivi K. Ketoh, Neil D’Cruze Nature Conservation.2020; 38: 37. CrossRef
Molecular identification of Cryptosporidium spp. in pet snakes in Beijing, China Haixia Zhang, Zixiang Lin, Yuxi Jiang, Weifeng Qian, Chaochao Lv, Liwei Zhang, Siqi Wang, Meng Qi, Zhaofei Xia Parasitology Research.2020; 119(9): 3119. CrossRef
Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of Cryptosporidium, Hepatozoon and Spirometra in snakes from central China Xiao Xiao, Rui Qi, Hui-Ju Han, Jian-Wei Liu, Xiang-Rong Qin, Li-Zhu Fang, Chuan-Min Zhou, Xiao-Qing Gong, Si-Cong Lei, Xue-Jie Yu International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife.2019; 10: 274. CrossRef
Gastric Cryptosporidiosis in Snakes, a Review James E. Bogan Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery.2019; 29(3-4): 71. CrossRef
First
Prev
