Internal and External Parasitic Infections of Pet Reptiles in Italy

Cervone, Mario; Fichi, Gianluca; Lami, Andrea; Lanza, Andrea; Damiani, Gian Marco; Perrucci, Stefania

doi:10.5818/1529-9651-26.3-4.122

Cited by 22 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Parasites may have detrimental effects on the well-being of reptiles kept in zoos, farms or as domestic pets [4,5]. The different techniques were used for detection of parasitic ova in feces of snakes as per previous researchers [9][10][11][12].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A study on endoparasitic and ectoparasitic fauna of snakes in Mizoram, India

Patra¹,

Borthakur²,

Alam³

et al. 2017

APJTD

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They become one of the common pet animals throughout the world. Like other species, they can also harbour various parasites [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. In zoos, reptilian species including snakes are often closely confined together and this causes stress resulting in alteration of host-parasite relationship.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A study on endoparasitic and ectoparasitic fauna of snakes in Mizoram, India

Patra¹,

Borthakur²,

Alam³

et al. 2017

APJTD

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“…Gastrointestinal endoparasites in pet tortoises have been investigated in several European countries [ 12 – 14 , 16 , 24 , 38 ]. These studies report extremely high prevalence of oxyurid infections in tortoises kept in captivity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Plausible explanations for this phenomenon are mainly linked to direct life-cycles together with high tenacity of certain reptile exogenous parasitic stages, i.e. eggs, larvae, cysts and oocysts [ 12 , 14 ]. Pathogenicity of reptile parasitoses varies due to husbandry conditions, and poor husbandry hygiene can lead to clinically relevant massive parasitic burdens in a terrarium due to frequent reinfections [ 12 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the case of captive tortoises, parasitological investigations performed recently in other European countries [ 13 , 14 , 16 , 24 , 25 ] revealed high and strongly varying prevalence (43–82%) of gastrointestinal parasites in tortoises. The assessment methods in parasitological studies on tortoises varies strongly, making inter-study comparisons challenging.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Occurrence of health-compromising protozoan and helminth infections in tortoises kept as pet animals in Germany

et al. 2018

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BackgroundExotic reptiles such as tortoises, have become increasingly common domestic pets worldwide and are known to host different gastrointestinal parasites. Some of these parasites bear zoonotic potential. In the present survey, we parasitologically examined tortoise faecal samples (n = 1005) from 19 different species held as pets in private German households and German zoological gardens.MethodsSaline faecal smears were used to generate prevalence data for potentially health-compromising gastrointestinal parasites. In addition, we performed complete parasitological dissections of dead tortoises (n = 49) to estimate endoparasite burdens precisely.ResultsAnalysed tortoise faecal samples contained a broad spectrum of endoparasites. We detected ten taxa of endoparasites; oxyurid nematodes (e.g. Tachygonetria spp.) were the most prevalent parasites in faecal samples (43.18%), followed by ascarids (Angusticaecum spp.) (0.01%), Hexamita spp. (0.007%), Balantidium spp. (0.007%), trichomonads (0.004%), Strongyloides spp. (0.003%), Entamoeba spp. (0.005%), Hartmanella spp. (0.001%), Blastocystis spp. (0.002%), heterakids (0.001%) and Trimitus spp. (0.001%). Additionally, we investigated dead tortoise individuals (n = 49; of 10 different species) for aetiological diagnosis and estimation of endoparasite burden. Of these individuals, 38 (77.6%) were infected with parasites and 14 (28.6%) of them died most probably due to severe parasitic infection. Oxyurid infections correlated positively with calcium deficiency and metabolic bone disease (MBD) as well as nephrosis/nephritis, mainly occurring in juvenile tortoises (< 5 years of age).ConclusionsThe saline faecal smear technique proved to be efficient in detecting different metazoan and protozoan parasite stages in tortoise faeces. The prevalence of oxyurid infections was particularly high. In combination with pathological findings in clinical oxyuridosis obtained from necropsied animals, our findings call for further, detailed investigations on pathogenesis and immunology of oxyurids in pet reptiles. Coprological analyses for parasite detection should be mandatory before tortoises are transferred to a new owner, animal group, or public and private enclosures such as zoos. We advocate for regular health screenings in pet tortoises and, if parasitic infections are diagnosed, adequate medication or alternative hygiene management should be considered to improve and maintain individual and population health.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-2936-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Chameleons

Kubiak¹

2020

Handbook of Exotic Pet Medicine

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Internal and External Parasitic Infections of Pet Reptiles in Italy

Cited by 22 publications

References 30 publications

A study on endoparasitic and ectoparasitic fauna of snakes in Mizoram, India

A study on endoparasitic and ectoparasitic fauna of snakes in Mizoram, India

Occurrence of health-compromising protozoan and helminth infections in tortoises kept as pet animals in Germany

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