Heterosporis anguillarum infection in a garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis).

A captive garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) showed marked circumferential thickening of the body wall due to a chronic fibrous to necrotizing inflammatory reaction extending from the serosa to the skin. The lesions were associated with the presence of intra- and extracellular microsporidian organisms. With ultrastructural and molecular analyses the microsporidia were identified as Heterosporis anguillarum. This organism causes a morphologically similar disease in the Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica), but this is the first time it has been identified in an infected reptile.

Encephalitozoonosis in two inland bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps).

Microsporidiosis is reported rarely in reptiles. Sporadic multisystemic granulomatous disease of captive bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) has been associated with microsporidia showing Encephalitozoon-like morphology. Two such cases are described herein. Both animals displayed clinical signs suggestive of renal failure. Necropsy examination revealed granulomatous lesions in the liver and adrenal area in both animals, and in several other organs in one animal. The lesions were associated with intracellular protozoa consistent with microsporidia. Ultrastructural examination of the organisms revealed morphology similar to Encephalitozoon spp. Immunohistochemistry and chromogenic in-situ hybridization for Encephalitozoon cuniculi were positive in both animals. Nucleotide sequencing of the partial small subunit ribosomal RNA gene and the complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region revealed high similarity with published E. cuniculi sequences in both animals. However, the ITS region showed a GTTT-repeat pattern distinct from mammalian E. cuniculi strains. This may be a novel E. cuniculi strain associated with multisystemic granulomatous disease in bearded dragons.