More than a dozen species of captive and wild snakes in at least 15 states have been affected by what’s being called snake fungal disease (SFD). Researchers are exploring the disease, including its epidemiology, how it grows, how it is transmitted, how to treat it and even which disinfectants work or don’t work against the primary fungus associated with it, Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola.
Source: Veterinary Practice News, May 8, 2017.
There is still so much we don’t know about snake fungal disease,” Matt Allender, DVM, Ph.D. said. “We don’t know anything about its effect on snake populations. It may be a conservation threat; it may not be. We don’t know every snake species that is affected. We don’t know whether the fungus is different in different parts of the country. And we don’t know what is causing the emergence now.”
Also see: Snake fungal disease, USGS National Wildlife Health Center.