Background:
Mycobacterium is an important zoonotic agent with
companion,
livestock and wildlife
animals reportedly playing a
role as
reservoirs. Although its
association with
reptiles has been described, the
disease cycle remains to be fully established, particularly in
snakes. Accordingly, this study aimed to
report the occurrence of mycobacteriosis with clinical
pneumonia in one exotic
python snake (
Python molurus) and one native green
snake (Philodryas olfersii) from the Sorocaba Zoo, São Paulo
state,
Brazil.
Methods:
Diagnosis was based on necropsy, histopathological examination, Ziehl-Neelsen
stain and
immunohistochemistry.
Results:
Using a
nested PCR followed by
DNA sequencing and
bioinformatics analysis, the causative
Mycobacterium species was identified as
Mycobacterium genavense.
Conclusion:
Mycobacterium genavense is an infectious zoonotic agent of
animal and
public health concerns.(AU)