Oral Bacterial Microflora of Free-Living Reticulated Pythons (Python reticulatus) in Singapore

Yak, Ryan Siqi; Lundin, Anna-Carin; Pin, Peng Yeong; Sebastin, Sandeep J.

doi:10.5818/1529-9651-25.1.40

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…was the most isolated organism from the oral cavity of snakes, followed by Pseudomonas spp., Proteus spp., and E. coli (Cooper and Leakey, 1976). Yak et al (2015) conducted a more recent study to detect the bacterial microflora of the oral cavities of free-living reticulated pythons in Singapore. The results showed that the most commonly identified bacterial species was Pseudomonas spp., followed by Staphylococcus sciuri.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One way through which humans acquire bacteria from snakes is through snakebites. After a snakebite occurs, there is a high chance that the wound will become infected, and multiple bacteria could be isolated (Yak et al, 2015;Artavia-León et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus is the most isolated gram-positive aerobes in this study. Yak et al (2015) stated that coagulase-negative Staphylococcus is a common organism in the oral cavity of snakes, and it can cause infections in humans. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus is also among the common bacterial isolates from infected wounds due to snakebites in humans (Garg et al, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bacterial Stomatitis in Wild Reticulated Pythons (Malayopython reticulatus) in Malaysia

Sharina,

Jian,

Azlan

2023

WVJ

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Bacterial stomatitis is a common clinical form of upper alimentary tract disease in reptiles. The current study aimed to isolate and identify the common aerobes in the oral cavities of wild reticulated pythons and to profile their antimicrobial susceptibility. The need to conduct the current research was deemed in parallel with the increasing demand for snakes as pets and the growing emergence of multiple-drug-resistant organisms. A total of 40 fresh carcasses of the wild-caught reticulated pythons were assessed for the presence or absence of stomatitis. Oral swabs were obtained and cultured on blood and MacConkey agar media. The colony and cellular morphologies of the isolates were evaluated, followed by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial identification. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method against selected antibiotics, namely gentamicin (GEN), amoxicillin (AMX), cephalexin (LEX), azithromycin (AZM), tetracycline (TET), and ciprofloxacin (CIP), commonly used to treat bacterial infection in reptiles. Results indicated that the prevalence of stomatitis was 77.5%. Among 153 isolates identified, 76.47% of bacteria were identified from pythons with stomatitis lesions, while 23.53% of bacteria were identified from pythons without stomatitis. Of 153 isolates, Gram-negative bacteria were shown to be predominant (94.77%). The three most isolated bacterial species were Aeromonas spp. (14.38%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (11.76%), and Alcaligenes faecalis (8.5%). Meanwhile, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus spp. (4.58%) and Corynebacterium spp. (0.66%) were the only isolated Gram-positive aerobes. Most isolates were observed to be equally susceptible to GEN and CIP (at 95.8%) but highly resistant to AMX (83.3%) and LEX (75.0%). In conclusion, bacterial stomatitis in wild-caught reticulated pythons was highly prevalent and often seen as a mixed bacterial infection (96.8%). The isolated bacteria consistently show susceptibility towards GEN and CIP and thus could be considered the primary line of antibiotics in treating this disease.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bacterial Stomatitis in Wild Reticulated Pythons (Malayopython reticulatus) in Malaysia

Sharina,

Jian,

Azlan

2023

WVJ

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“…In this current study, the Python possessed the greatest number of bacterial species with E.coli was identified as the most common followed by Propionibacterium acnes , Pseudomonas veronii and Serratia marcescens . Oral samples from free-living Reticulated Pythons presented high prevalence of Staphylococcus sciuri, Acinetobacter genomospecies, Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas aeruginosa [48]. Pythons – usually found in grasslands, swamps, marshes, rocky foothills, woodlands and river valleys – depend on a source of water [49].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Next-generation sequencing analysis reveals high bacterial diversity in wild venomous and non-venomous snakes from India.

Krishnankutty

Muraleedharan

Perumal

et al. 2018

J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis

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BackgroundThe oral cavities of snakes are replete with various types of bacterial flora. Culture-dependent studies suggest that some of the bacterial species are responsible for secondary bacterial infection associated with snakebite. A complete profile of the ophidian oral bacterial community has been unreported until now. Therefore, in the present study, we determined the complete bacterial compositions in the oral cavity of some snakes from India.MethodsTotal DNA was isolated from oral swabs collected from three wild snake species (Indian Cobra, King Cobra and Indian Python). Next, the DNA was subjected to PCR amplification of microbial 16S rRNA gene using V3-region-specific primers. The amplicons were used for preparation of DNA libraries that were sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq platform.ResultsThe cluster-based taxonomy analysis revealed that Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the most predominant phyla present in the oral cavities of snakes. This result indicates that snakes show more similarities to birds than mammals as to their oral bacterial communities. Furthermore, our study reports all the unique and common bacterial species (total: 147) found among the oral microbes of snakes studied, while the majority of commonly abundant species were pathogens or opportunistic pathogens to humans. A wide difference in ophidian oral bacterial flora suggests variation by individual, species and geographical region.ConclusionThe present study would provide a foundation for further research on snakes to recognize the potential drugs/antibiotics for the different infectious diseases.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40409-018-0181-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…[6,[16][17][18][19] Comprehensive identification of the microbiology of bite wounds and oral flora of culprit snakes is pertinent in selecting suitable empirical and prophylactic antibiotics, preventing secondary infection and reducing morbidity. [15,[19][20][21] No data exist on Naja nigricincta nigricincta's oral microbiome. Very few case reports of Naja nigricincta nigricincta snakebites have been recorded.…”

Section: In Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Namibian spitting cobra, Naja nigricincta nigricincta (Zebra snake): Antibiotic profile of bacteria cultured from the oral pharynx, venom and snakebite wounds

Saaiman,

Buys,

Theart

2023

S Afr Med J

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This was a cross-sectional study with the aim of characterising Naja nigricincta nigricincta’s oral bacterial flora as well as accompanying sensitivities and resistance towards antibiotics. Naja nigricincta nigricincta (zebra snake) is a spitting cobra indigenous to Namibia. Nasopharyngeal and venom swabs for bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity were taken from 37 native zebra snakes originating from the Khomas region that were captured for removal and relocation. Enterococcus faecalis, Proteus spp., Morganella morganii and Pseudomonas spp. were the organisms most often cultured. The antibiotic sensitivity profiles of these organisms suggest ciprofloxacin or a third-generation cephalosporin plus gentamicin or piperacillin-tazobactam as prophylactic antibiotics in case of Naja nigricincta nigricincta bites.

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Oral Bacterial Microflora of Free-Living Reticulated Pythons (Python reticulatus) in Singapore

Cited by 5 publications

References 10 publications

Bacterial Stomatitis in Wild Reticulated Pythons (Malayopython reticulatus) in Malaysia

Bacterial Stomatitis in Wild Reticulated Pythons (Malayopython reticulatus) in Malaysia

Next-generation sequencing analysis reveals high bacterial diversity in wild venomous and non-venomous snakes from India.

Namibian spitting cobra, Naja nigricincta nigricincta (Zebra snake): Antibiotic profile of bacteria cultured from the oral pharynx, venom and snakebite wounds

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