Snakes and Souks: Zoonotic pathogens associated to reptiles in the Marrakech markets, Morocco.

ABSTRACT: The world-famous markets of Marrakech, also known in Arabic as souks, harbor a vast diversity of reptiles that are sold for medicinal/magic/pet purposes or used for snake charming. This unique epidemiological context has never been studied considering the interactions of humans, reptiles, and zoonotic pathogens. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the parasites and pathogens present in blood and feces associated with handled reptiles in the markets of Marrakech to assess the risk of zoonotic transmission within the reptile-human interface. Privately owned reptiles (n = 118), coming from vendors or snake charmers, were examined and blood and feces sampled. DNA was extracted and molecular screening (cPCR, nPCR, qPCR, dqPCR) was performed aiming to identify potentially zoonotic pathog

SUBMITTER: Mendoza-Roldan JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10355457 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature