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Spirometra infection in a captive Samar cobra (Naja samarensis) in the United States: An imported case?

ABSTRACT: We report a case of Spirometra infection in a Samar cobra (Naja samarensis) imported from the Philippines, belonging to a zoological collection in the southern United States. Under a poor post-surgical prognosis, the snake was euthanized, and at necropsy plerocercoids of a Diphyllobotriidea were found in its subcutaneous tissues and musculature. Molecular and phylogenetic analyses of the complete cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (cox1) gene of the mitochondrial DNA confirmed that the isolate belonged to the genus Spirometra and was closely related to Spirometra mansoni isolates from Asian countries (bootstrap support = 99.4%). Considering the origin and clinical history and handling of the animal, the snake probably arrived infected in America. We suggest the inclusion of diagnostic imaging in the investigation of sparganosis in research and disease surveillance protocols applied in the pre- and post-quarantine period to asymptomatic animals imported from endemic areas.

SUBMITTER: Verocai GG

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9945636 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Spirometra infection in a captive Samar cobra (Naja samarensis) in the United States: An imported case?

Verocai Guilherme G GG Harvey Tatiani V TV Sobotyk Caroline C Siu Rachel Ellerd RE Kulpa Matthew M Connolly Maren M

International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife 20230208

We report a case of Spirometra infection in a Samar cobra (Naja samarensis) imported from the Philippines, belonging to a zoological collection in the southern United States. Under a poor post-surgical prognosis, the snake was euthanized, and at necropsy plerocercoids of a Diphyllobotriidea were found in its subcutaneous tissues and musculature. Molecular and phylogenetic analyses of the complete cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (cox1) gene of the mitochondrial DNA confirmed t ...[more]

PMID: 36845224

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Project description:The Samar Cobra, Naja samarensis, is endemic to the southern Philippines and is a WHO-listed Category 1 venomous snake species of medical importance. Envenomation caused by N. samarensis results in neurotoxicity, while there is no species-specific antivenom available for its treatment. The composition and neutralization of N. samarensis venom remain largely unknown to date. This study thus aimed to investigate the venom proteome of N. samarensis for a comprehensive profiling of the venom composition, and to examine the immunorecognition as well as neutralization of its toxins by a hetero-specific antivenom. Applying C18 reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), three-finger toxins (3FTx) were shown to dominate the venom proteome by 90.48% of total venom proteins. Other proteins in the venom comprised snake venom metalloproteinases, phospholipases A2, cysteine-rich secretory proteins, venom nerve growth factors, L-amino acid oxidases and vespryn, which were present at much lower abundances. Among all, short-chain alpha-neurotoxins (SαNTX) were the most highly expressed toxin within 3FTx family, constituting 65.87% of the total venom proteins. The SαNTX is the sole neurotoxic component of the venom and has an intravenous median lethal dose (LD50) of 0.18 μg/g in mice. The high abundance and low LD50 support the potent lethal activity of N. samarensis venom. The hetero-specific antivenom, Philippine Cobra Antivenom (PCAV, raised against Naja philippinensis) were immunoreactive toward the venom and its protein fractions, including the principal SαNTX. In efficacy study, PCAV was able to cross-neutralize the lethality of SαNTX albeit the effect was weak with a low potency of 0.20 mg/ml (defined as the amount of toxin completely neutralized per milliliter of the antivenom). With a volume of 5 ml, each vial of PCAV may cross-neutralize approximately 1 mg of the toxin in vivo. The findings support the potential para-specific use of PCAV in treating envenomation caused by N. samarensis while underscoring the need to improve the potency of its neutralization activity, especially against the highly lethal alpha-neurotoxins.

Project description:ObjectivesThe objective of the present work was to examine the bacterial flora associated with the oral cavity of Indian cobra and to study their antibiogram.MethodsOral swabs, collected from six healthy (4 males and 2 females) adult cobra, were subjected to microbiological examination through differential media. A total of 74 isolates which demonstrated noticeable colony characters were studied with different biochemical tests. The strains that showed distinctive colonies, morphology and biochemical parameters were additionally subjected to phylogenetic characterization using 16S rRNA gene sequences. Further, the isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing using ICOSA-20-plus and ICOSA-20-minus.ResultsMicroscopic examination of the oral cavity of Indian cobra revealed the dominance of Gram-negative bacteria over Gram-positive. The oral microflora constituted of bacteria such as Salmonella sp. (S. typhi, S. paratyphi A); Pseudomonas sp. (P. aeruginosa, P. fluorescence); Proteus sp. (P. mirabilis, P. penneri, P. vulgaris); E. coli; Morganella sp.; Citrobacter sp. (C. diversus, C. freundii); Aeromonas sp. (A. hydrophila, A. salmonicida); Enterobacter sp. (E. aerogens); Acinetobacter sp. (A. baumannii); Neisseria sp.; Serratia sp.; Bacillus sp. (B. cereus, B. megatarium, B. atrophaeus and B. weihenstephanensis); Enterococcus sp. (E. faecalis, E. faecium); Staphylococcus sp. (S. aureus, S. epidermidis); Alcaligenes sp.; Chryseobacterium sp. and Micrococcus sp. Most of the isolates were resistant towards antibiotics such as Penicillin, Cefpodoxime, Amoxyclav, Co-Trimoxazole, Ticarcillin, Erythromycin and Nalidixic acid while sensitive towards Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin, Ofloxacin, Sparfloxacin, Tobromycin, Ceftriaxone, Tetracycline, Novobiocin and Imipenem.ConclusionsThe secondary complications of the snake bite victims should be managed with appropriate antibiotics after proper examination of the bacterial flora from the wound sites.

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Spirometra infection in a captive Samar cobra (Naja samarensis) in the United States: An imported case?

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<i>Spirometra</i> infection in a captive Samar cobra (<i>Naja samarensis</i>) in the United States: An imported case?

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