Characterizing the epidemiology of ophidiomycosis in North American snakes through field studies, modeling, pathogen genomic analysis, and treatment trials
type: CreativeWork
description: The enormous impacts of human activities on global ecosystems pose a threat to the health of people, animals, and the environment. It is critical to study wildlife diseases in order to protect global biodiversity and promote global health, as notably highlighted by the effects on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging fungal diseases have profound impacts on people, agricultural crops, domestic animals, and wildlife. Ophidiomycosis, caused by the keratinophilic fungus Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, is an emerging infectious disease of wild and managed snakes worldwide. All snake species appear to be susceptible and it is a particular threat to species of conservation concern. The purpose of this dissertation was to address the gaps in current knowledge of ophidiomycosis in the United States, including the full range of snake species and geographic areas impacted by the disease, how disease and pathogen prevalence vary based on host and environmental factors, the impact of O. ophidiicola genomic diversity on disease epidemiology, and the effectiveness of specific treatment options. The specific objectives were to use fieldwork, clinical trials, molecular approaches, and statistical modeling to examine host, agent, and environmental factors that impact development of disease and characterize the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles for a single medication and delivery system in diseased snakes. Ophidiomycosis surveillance was conducted in a variety of snake species in southeast Georgia, USA and in Lake Erie watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon insularum, LEWS) in Ottawa and Erie Counties, Ohio, USA. Snakes were captured during visual encounter surveys and visually inspected for skin lesions suggestive of ophidiomycosis, then a body swab was collected to detect the presence of O. ophidiicola using qPCR. Each snake was assigned to an ophidiomycosis category based on the presence of skin lesions and O. ophidiicola. Logistic regression models were used to predict lesio…
abstract: The enormous impacts of human activities on global ecosystems pose a threat to the health of people, animals, and the environment. It is critical to study wildlife diseases in order to protect global biodiversity and promote global health, as notably highlighted by the effects on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging fungal diseases have profound impacts on people, agricultural crops, domestic animals, and wildlife. Ophidiomycosis, caused by the keratinophilic fungus Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, is an emerging infectious disease of wild and managed snakes worldwide. All snake species appear to be susceptible and it is a particular threat to species of conservation concern. The purpose of this dissertation was to address the gaps in current knowledge of ophidiomycosis in the United States, including the full range of snake species and geographic areas impacted by the disease, how disease and pathogen prevalence vary based on host and environmental factors, the impact of O. ophidiicola genomic diversity on disease epidemiology, and the effectiveness of specific treatment options. The specific objectives were to use fieldwork, clinical trials, molecular approaches, and statistical modeling to examine host, agent, and environmental factors that impact development of disease and characterize the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic profiles for a single medication and delivery system in diseased snakes. Ophidiomycosis surveillance was conducted in a variety of snake species in southeast Georgia, USA and in Lake Erie watersnakes (Nerodia sipedon insularum, LEWS) in Ottawa and Erie Counties, Ohio, USA. Snakes were captured during visual encounter surveys and visually inspected for skin lesions suggestive of ophidiomycosis, then a body swab was collected to detect the presence of O. ophidiicola using qPCR. Each snake was assigned to an ophidiomycosis category based on the presence of skin lesions and O. ophidiicola. Logistic regression models were used to predict lesio…
author: Haynes, Ellen
language: en
keywords: ophidiomycosis, epidemiology, snake, fungus
date published: 2021-09-17T02:34:28Z
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:52Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/110675