Fungal flora in the mouth of venomous and non-venomous snakes

This study was conducted to identify potentially pathogenic fungal flora in the oral cavities of venomous and non-venomous snakes. Sterile swabs were used to retrieve samples from the oral cavities of different snakes followed by medium-specific culture. Slide culture technology was also used in the identification of fungal flora.Rhizopus andMucor represented the most common fungal flora each making up 29  % of the total.Alternaria, Cladosporium, Aspergillus andCandida represented a significantly smaller portion of fungal pathogen load at around 3  % each. Fungi, Yeast (19.4 %) and Penicillium (9.7 %), were also identified in the retrieved samples. Our results indicate that both venomous and non-venomous snakes carry a significant fungal pathogenic load in their oral cavities. Therefore, fungal infection should be considered, in addition t o toxicity, especially in snake bite victims with immune deficiency.
Source: Comparative Clinical Pathology - Category: Pathology Source Type: research