Overview
- The peer‑reviewed study published Tuesday sampled more than 500 free‑ranging snakes across the southeastern United States and tested for seven pathogens to produce a multipathogen snapshot.
- Researchers used live capture with skin swabs and blood sampling plus opportunistic postmortem exams to assess 29 snake species and compare infection patterns across sites and hosts.
- Pygmy rattlesnakes showed especially high infection rates, with 12 of 34 testing positive for the snake fungal pathogen Ophidiomyces ophidiicola and 14 of 34 carrying the invasive lungworm Raillietiella orientalis.
- Coinfections were common and consequential: 44% of snakes had more than one pathogen and coinfected animals faced much higher risk of ophidiomycosis; Salmonella enterica (63%), Hepatozoon spp. (53%) and Mycoplasma spp. (18%) were widespread, with Mycoplasma reported for the first time in wild U.S. snakes.
- Pathogen occurrence varied by location and detection method, with Oo more frequent in Georgia and Ro found only in Florida samples, the authors warn Ro is likely underdetected because fecal sampling is intermittent, and they recommend using these results to tighten biosecurity during translocations and captive‑wild contacts to reduce spillover risk.