Prevalence of inclusion body disease (IBD) in wild caught reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus)

Razlan, Mira (2022) Prevalence of inclusion body disease (IBD) in wild caught reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus). [Project Paper] (Submitted)

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Abstract

Inclusion body disease (IBD) is a fatal and contagious viral disease characterized by eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies in various tissue and blood cells. This disease mainly affects snakes from the Boidae and Pythonidae family. To date, the aetiology and pathogenesis still remains ambiguous, however evidence points to arenavirus in the genus reptarenavirus as the cause of IBD. Most documented occurrences were captive snakes, however there is no study conducted in the indigenous wild reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) in Malaysia. The prevalence of IBD in wild reticulated pythons are determined in this study using an established presumptive diagnosis of histopathology and blood smear. Aconvenience sampling of N=50 wild caught reticulated pythons were procured from a snake processing plant for python skin industry. Blood was collected in a heparin tube and two thin blood smears were done for each sample. Tissues from the brain, kidney and liver were taken and processed for histopathology. The blood smears were stained with Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Wright’s stain. Histopathological tissues were stained with H&E stain. Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies characterized by variably sized eosinophilic and round bodies were detected in 17 samples with an overall prevalence of 34.0% (17/50) based on inclusion bodies detected either by histopathology or blood smear (26.0% (13/50) and 32.0% (16/50) respectively. All inclusion bodies from the blood smear were found in the RBC while kidney was predominant (12/13) from the histopathological examination (92%). There is no association between sex with the detection of IBD. Our hypothesis for identifying IBD in an asymptomatic wild python was supported by the findings. The high prevalence highlights the need for further epidemiological study by incorporating more diagnostic techniques.

Item Type:	Project Paper
Faculty:	Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Depositing User:	Ms Nurhaznita Mahmood
Date Deposited:	31 May 2024 08:27
Last Modified:	31 May 2024 08:27
URI:	http://psaspb.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/1917

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