The aim of this study was to identify oral and cloacal aerobic flora of four-lined snakes (Elaphe quatuorlineata) from Croatian islands Cres and Olib to get better insight into bacteria and fungi potentially harmful to both the animals and the people getting in contact with those animals. Oral and cloacal swabs were taken from a total of 20 snakes and analyzed by standard microbiology and by Real-Time PCR method for Chlamydia spp. identification. Neither Salmonella spp. nor Chlamydia spp. were detected, but some potentially human pathogens, such as Aeromonas hydrophila, Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, were isolated. Some of fungi detected, such as Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus and Cladosporium sp., have already been described as secondary causative disease agents in reptile collections. To the author's knowledge this study is the first survey of aerobic microflora of four-lined snakes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.