Reptile Respiratory Infections — Review Q1 2021
Respiratory infections are caused by a wide variety of pathogens in commonly kept pet snakes. Unlike mammals you do not hear sneezes or coughs from these animals who are physiologically unable to perform those actions. The diagnostics for these infections usually consist of listening for ticks or wheezes as an onset of infection advancing to open-mouth breathing with visual mucus and bubbles being emitted from the animal’s mouth and nostrils. The danger of these infections is obvious — if left untreated or severe enough the animal risks death.
Historically keepers did their best to treat these infections. Antibiotics should be used as a measure against primary and secondary infections. Enrofloxacin (branded Baytril®), a small animal staple for medicine, was used early but ultimately was found to potentially cause severe reactions in reptiles (short article featured in ReptilesMagazine here). The accessibility of reptile keepers to obtain Enrofloxacin aided in its popularity. Metronidazole (branded Flagyl®) can be used with reptiles. Ciprofloxacin is another preferred alternative. Seek veterinary advice before treating any animal with these medications.
Unfortunately, especially in the past, seeking these medications from a qualified veterinarian was often a last resort. Methods from using home humidifiers, tea kettles, essential oils, and even loading a fogger or humidifier with a disinfectant are often the go-to first steps when an amateur respiratory infection diagnosis is made. It is critical to seek the services of a qualified veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment of illness in reptiles.
Newcomers to the hobby have their own fair share of advice for respiratory infection treatment and avoidance. It is critical to seek the services of a qualified veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment of illness in reptiles. A veterinarian will be able to perform washes, cultures, and PCR tests to determine the cause of the respiratory infection before unnecessary or dangerous treatment is made.
If you have an animal in the family of python or a veiled chameleon there has been research specifically for pervasive, communicable, and often deadly respiratory diseases caused by members of the family of nidovirus.
If you need help locating a veterinarian ARAV is a great place to start.
This article has a companion YouTube video:
Published Veterinary Guidance
Searching for “respiratory infection snakes” at the Merck Veterinary Manual has a specific section on bacterial disease.
Respiratory infections are common; the incidence can be influenced by respiratory or systemic parasitism, unfavorable environmental temperatures or humidity, insufficient ventilation, unsanitary conditions, concurrent disease, and malnutrition. […] Treatment consists of improving husbandry and initiating systemic antibiotics after the collection of diagnostic material.
Supportive Information From Popular Presenters
Example from Snake Discovery
Snake Discovery’s video identifies the symptoms of respiratory disease and specifically mentions treatment through the application of antibiotics. The usage of antibiotics implies bacterial infection.
When contacted the Snake Discovery team also stated they use VetDNA for testing for pervasive viruses including nidovirus. Unfortunately there does not seem to be any accompanying material published on YouTube or similar.
Example from Clint’s Reptiles
Clint Laidlaw from Clint’s Reptiles presents respiratory infection topics in the context of respiratory disease he noticed in a carpet python. In the video respiratory disease is associated primarily with bacterial infections with a small mention of viruses. Antibiotics, specifically Enrofloxacin, were delivered to the snake and the snake recovered.
Example from GoHerping
In the video referenced by the image above, GoHerping concludes that a persistent “respiratory infection” was caused by cat urine.
This video leaves many questions.
The veterinarians assisting Alex should have, and may have, done cultures to determine if there was a bacterial presence while prescribing broad spectrum antibiotics. With the affected animal being a ball python it should have been immediately determined that a PCR test for nidovirus should have been ordered. Alex does not respond to questions about either topic.
Contaminants in the enclosure can surely cause respiratory tract irritation. It is unclear why this was undetectable by Alex. It is unclear why the enclosure was not cleaned thoroughly before adding the animal to it.
The information presented leans to sowing distrust in veterinarians and medical treatment for pet reptiles. It is an example of an antiquated idea adopted by new keepers that is already pervasive in the hobby as a whole.
Example from Reptiles and Research
Liam Sinclair of Reptiles and Research also offers his take on respiratory infection. There is no mention of veterinary diagnostics or having a qualified veterinarian perform diagnostics.
The preview (text description) of the video suggests respiratory infections are caused by viruses while bacteria is responsible for scale and mouth rot. This mistake is extrapolated with the video suggesting reptile respiratory infections are the equivalent of human winter colds and the comparison of COVID19. One of the most pervasive viruses linked to respiratory disease, ball python nidovirus, is a glaring and frankly ridiculous omission.
Vitamin D is not recognized as a treatment or preventative measure for COVID19 from the World Health Organization.
In the video a lack of UVB light and vitamin D deficiency is identified as the reason for diseases emerging in captive reptiles. These ideas are backed up by references to human evaluations of vitamin D. Liam suggests that there is an abundance of research concluding that vitamin D supplementation (including through UV light therapy) is a preventative measure for reptile respiratory infections, human respiratory infections, and even COVID19. Liam’s claims should not be considered accurate and oddly mirror some of the disinformation information campaigns of last year — similarly Liam’s advice should not be taken and instead you should rely on diagnostics, quarantine, and hygiene.
There is a larger depth of research connecting a reduction of temperature and humidity to winter cold season for several decades with vitamin D only playing a very loosely understood role. The cause of respiratory disease is both bacterial and viral. Vitamin D has been a topic for both sources of respiratory infection. Vitamin D today is not in the guidance from the World Health Organization as a preventative measure for disease.
The Mayo clinic includes a statement that Vitamin D’s association to COVID19 is unclear. Vitamin D is not recognized as a treatment or preventative measure for COVID19 from WHO. NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, released research guidelines on this topic. A study funded by NICE appears in the Harvard Gazette suggesting that deficient individuals benefited from vitamin D supplementation. If not painfully obvious there is a significant omission: vitamin D is not supplemented by subjecting humans to UV lamps in any of these studies.
The British Medical Journal (BMJ) released a study stating the benefits of vitamin D were only observed in controlled levels.
Among those receiving daily or weekly vitamin D, protective effects were stronger in those with baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels <25 nmol/L (adjusted odds ratio 0.30, 0.17 to 0.53) than in those with baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels ≥25 nmol/L
Liam’s research appears very specifically scoped to and includes more disinformation about COVID19 and viral infection than supporting evidence that the snake in the title image could avoid acute respiratory disease caused by a virus through unknown UVB light dosages affecting its baseline vitamin D levels.
Snakes do not recover from diseases like nidovirus as if it were a winter cold.
Observable respiratory disease in reptiles is not often linked directly to viruses in the manner that winter colds for people often are. Liam equates winter cold season exclusively with vitamin D deficiency. Snakes do not get temporary colds in the same manner a person may pick one up from the office, school, or public transit. Snakes do not recover from diseases like nidovirus as if it were a winter cold. The source of infection is most often bacterial and treated with broad spectrum antibiotics even in the presence of a virus in order to control secondary infections.
Antibiotics including Ciprofloxavin (used to treat respiratory infections and described in the intro) specifically include warnings about sun exposure and their use. UV exposure has escalated from naive to potentially injurious when paired with the treatment of respiratory infections.
Like Alex, Liam has avoided topics around veterinary care, bacterial cultures, and PCR testing for viruses contributing to respiratory disease like ball python nidovirus. The video supports Liam’s other titles specifically speaking about UVB rather than animal welfare and disease management. It is clear these videos were made to attract new keepers searching for information around respiratory disease. It is unfortunate those keepers will not find reasonable answers.
Breeders
A “trick” in the breeding community is to remove the water bowl from the enclosure during breeding to elicit breeding behavior.
The reduction of humidity reduces the overall function of protective features of the respiratory tract. Review the section on Reptiles and Research’s video specifically for references and conclusions about humidity and transmission of disease.
Suppression of water and environmental humidity is not conducive to animal welfare.
Kevin Mccurley, New England Reptile Distributors
In a video not titled as having any content related to respiratory infections Kevin Mccurley describes treatment of a reticulated python with metronidazole. The respiratory disease experienced by the animal is attributed to pseudomonas bacteria. The stress of the breeding season is identified as the inlet for pseudomonas to create noticeable respiratory disease.
The suggestion that respiratory disease is a result of stress and normalized as being part of events like breeding is pervasive. Kevin identifies the snakes in the video as having gone through cooling in preparation for breeding. The cohabitation of the snakes in reduced temperature and humidity would greatly increase susceptibility to and transmission of disease.
It is unclear if the diagnosis of respiratory disease caused by pseudomonas was verified by a veterinarian through bacterial culture or why metronidazole was specifically used. There is no mention of testing snakes for viral infections that could contribute to the respiratory disease that is being treated.
Conclusion
Out of all of the material the general consensus and best practice guidance is to get your animal to a veterinarian for appropriate diagnostics and treatment with antibiotics as respiratory illness is most often attributed to bacterial infection.
Viruses contributing to respiratory disease received few mentions. None of the reviewed material specifically identified pervasive viruses including nidovirus (serpentovirus). Special and important mention should go to Reptiles and Research who erroneously attributed common reptile respiratory disease with viruses in order to make a completely unrelated link to UV light playing a role in prevention.
GoHerping and Reptiles and Research reached particularly odd conclusions about respiratory disease in snakes. It is unfortunate that the conversation generated around respiratory infections in pet reptiles, particularly snakes, is not shaped in quantifiable ways of improving animal welfare through disease management.
