Environmental associations of Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, the causative agent of ophidiomycosis in snakes.

ABSTRACT: Emerging pathogenic fungi have become a topic of conservation concern due to declines observed in several host taxa. One emerging fungal pathogen, Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, is well documented as the causative agent of ophidiomycosis, otherwise known as snake fungal disease (SFD). O. ophidiicola has been found to cause disease in a variety of snake species across the United States, including the eastern massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus), a federally threatened rattlesnake species. Most work to date has involved detecting O. ophidiicola for diagnosis of infection through direct sampling of snakes, and attempts to detect O. ophidiicola in the abiotic environment to better understand its distribution, seasonality, and habitat associations are lacking. We collected topsoil and groundwater sample

SUBMITTER: Friedeman N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11495611 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature