Effects of snake fungal disease (ophidiomycosis) on the skin microbiome across two major experimental scales.

Emerging infectious diseases are increasingly recognized as a significant threat to global biodiversity conservation. Elucidating the relationship between pathogens and the host microbiome could lead to novel approaches for mitigating disease impacts. Pathogens can alter the host microbiome by inducing dysbiosis, an ecological state characterized by a reduction in bacterial alpha diversity, an increase in pathobionts, or a shift in beta diversity.

Testing the febrile response of snakes inoculated with Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, the causative agent of snake fungal disease.

Snake Fungal Disease (SFD) negatively impacts wild snake populations in the eastern United States and Europe. Ophidiomyces ophidiicola causes SFD and manifests clinically by the formation of heterophilic granulomas around the mouth and eyes, weight loss, impaired vision, and sometimes death. Field observations have documented early seasonal basking behaviors in severely infected snakes, potentially suggesting induction of a behavioral febrile response to combat the mycosis.