I could tell it had something wrong with it at the time but assumed it was something that could take care of itself. (Made sure to wash my hands well after handling of course, like I always do.)
This year I found out it was probably shingleback nidovirus, which is likely to result in death if left untreated. Hopefully it was able to recover or at least didn't spread the virus to other skinks. I haven't seen one show signs of it since that one which I guess is a good sign.
ALWAYS quarantine ball pythons before adding them to your existing collection and follow an appropriate nidovirus testing protocol.
If your ball python shows these signs despite proper husbandry:
- labored/whistling breathing
- bubbling/frothing at the mouth
- open-mouth breathing
- rapid loss in body condition/weight
Separate them immediately from your other snakes (another room is ok, another building is best) and have them seen by an exotics veterinarian for antibiotics and a nidovirus test.
This is the Serpentovirus (formerly Nidovirus) updated presented by Dr. Rob Ossiboff, Steven Tillis, Dr. Susan Fogelson, Dr. Jim Wellehan, and Pia & Cody Bar...
The video starts at 6:08. Great presentation on Nidovirus from Southeast Carpetfest. Extremely relevant for all snake owners (python owners, in particular).
Arteriviruses, a family of single-stranded RNA viruses that belongs to the order Nidovirales, produce more proteins and messenger RNAs than previously reported, a finding that provides important insights about a virus that could potentially evolve to infect humans in the future, according to a new research study.
Previously, only nine genome sequences, known as transcription regulatory sequences (TRSs), were reported for the arterivirus Simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV), which infects monkeys. However, the new study used next-generation sequencing technology and found 96 TRSs were used by this virus to produce subgenomic messenger RNAs (sg mRNAs) in both SHFV-infected kidney cells and white blood cells of macaques, monkeys found primarily in Asia. Four of the previously identified TRSs were found not to be the predominant ones used for gene expression.
The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"This virus currently doesn't infect chimpanzees or humans, but it's one of the viruses that's recently been put on a list of possible emerging viruses that could evolve to infect chimpanzees and/or humans in the future," said Dr. Margo A. Brinton, corresponding author of the paper and Regents' Professor of Biology at Georgia State University. "No one understands what is restricting the host range of this virus so precisely. SHFV is in the same virus group as several viruses that cause important agricultural diseases and is also related to the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus."
Han Di et al. Expanded subgenomic mRNA transcriptome and coding capacity of a nidovirus, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2017). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1706696114
