CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL USING TERBINAFINE NEBULIZATION TO TREAT WILD LAKE ERIE WATERSNAKES (NERODIA SIPEDON INSULARUM) WITH OPHIDIOMYCOSIS.

Ophidiomycosis (snake fungal disease) is an important infectious disease caused by the fungus Ophidiomyces ophidiicola. To mitigate the disease's impact on individual snakes, a controlled clinical trial was conducted using terbinafine nebulization to treat snakes with ophidiomycosis. Fifty-three wild-caught Lake Erie watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon insularum) with apparent ophidiomycosis (skin lesions present, qPCR positive for O. ophidiicola) were divided into treatment and control groups: treatment snakes were nebulized with a 2 mg/ml terbinafine solution for 30 min daily for 30 d; control snakes received nebulization with 0.9% saline or no nebulization. Weekly physical exams were conducted to assign disease severity scores based on the number, type, location, and size of lesions, and qPCR was repeated after each 30-d course of treatment. Persistently qPCR-positive snakes received multiple nebulization courses. Terbinafine nebulization showed mixed results as a treatment for ophidiomycosis: 29.2% of animals treated with terbinafine showed molecular resolution of external disease, based on antemortem swabbing, following 3-6 mon of daily nebulization; this was significantly more than with saline nebulization (5%), but molecular resolution also occurred in 11.1% of snakes that received no treatment. Terbinafine nebulization did not significantly decrease clinical disease, as measured by disease severity scores. Evaluating molecular response to treatment using fungal quantities, terbinafine nebulization significantly reduced fungal quantity after three or more courses of treatment. These results indicate that, although terbinafine nebulization is a promising treatment for ophidiomycosis, snakes may require multiple nebulization courses and disease may not always resolve completely, despite treatment. This treatment may be most useful in snakes from managed populations that can be treated for several months, rather than wild snakes who are not releasable after multiple months in captivity.

COMPARING THE EFFECTS OF LITHIUM HEPARIN AND DIPOTASSIUM ETHYLENEDIAMINETETRAACETIC ACID ON HEMATOLOGIC VALUES IN EASTERN BOX TURTLES (TERRAPENE CAROLINA CAROLINA).

Anticoagulants are employed to prevent clotting and preserve cellular morphology for clinical pathology tests. Lithium heparin (LH) is the most frequently used anticoagulant in chelonians; however, dipotassium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) may be superior in some species. Although eastern box turtles' (Terrapene carolina carolina) hematologic parameters are well studied, the effects of different anticoagulants on hematology in this species are unknown. This study evaluated the effects of LH and EDTA on hematologic values in free-living eastern box turtles (N = 59). Blood samples were collected from eastern box turtles in Illinois and immediately divided between LH and EDTA microtainers, and complete blood counts were performed on each sample. Grossly, plasma from EDTA blood samples was frequently and significantly hemolyzed. Blood mixed with LH had higher packed cell volume (PCV) (P = 0.04), white blood cell count (WBC) determined by Leukopet (P < 0.0001), WBC determined by blood film estimate (P < 0.0001), absolute heterophils (P = 0.007), absolute lymphocytes (P < 0.0001), and lower total solids (P < 0.0001) and absolute monocytes (P = 0.0001) than blood mixed with EDTA. All relative leukocyte counts were significantly different between the anticoagulants (P < 0.0001). EDTA apparently lysed turtle erythrocytes in this study, making it difficult to accurately count white blood cells and artificially lowering PCV. These findings demonstrate that EDTA should not be used in eastern box turtles.