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Section of the liver showing a protozoan cyst within the cytoplasm of a hepatocyte (arrow), compatible with microsporidia. HE, bar = 100 µm. Abb. 3 Histologisches Präparat der Leber mit Darstellung einer protozoischen Zyste im Zytoplasma eines Hepatozyten (Pfeil), deren Morphologie mit der einer Mikrosporidie übereinstimmt. HE, Balken = 100 µm.
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Zusammenfassung
Eine 2 Monate alte Bartagame wurde wegen Anorexie und Abmagerung vorgestellt. Ein anderes Tier aus dem gleichen Bestand war 2 Wochen zuvor plötzlich verstorben. Die Kotuntersuchung zeigte eine große Anzahl an Oozysten von Isospora amphiboluri und einige wenige Oxyureneier. Es wurden keine weiteren Untersuchungen durchgeführt und das...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... examination re- vealed intracytoplasmic and intranuclear coccidiosis ( Fig. 1) and basophilic intranuclear inclusions within enterocytes, compa - tible with adenovirus infection ( Fig. 2). Acute hepatic necrosis and rare intrahepatocytic Gram-positive organisms with a mor- phology consistent with a microsporidian ( Fig. 3) were observed in the liver. Few similar Gram-positive organisms were detected in an area of transmural heterophilic inflammation in the small in - testine. ...
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Microsporidia have been identified as pathogens that have important effects on our health, food security and economy. A key to the success of these obligate intracellular pathogens is their unique invasion organelle, the polar tube, which delivers the nucleus containing sporoplasm into host cells during invasion. Due to the size of the polar tube,...
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The objective of this retrospective study was to present a series of cases involving the rare ocular disease of microsporidia keratitis treated at a private practice clinic and describe the details regarding specific water exposure, clinical course, voriconazole treatment, and increased prevalence of this infection in Augusta, Georgia, USA. Our ana...
Citations
... Reports of causes of mortality are largely limited to case reports and clinical case series. The most commonly described causes are infectious and degenerative disease processes Schilliger et al, 2010;Doneley et al, 2014;Grosset et al, 2014;Schmidt-Ukaj et al, 2014;Schilliger et al, 2016;Crossland et al, 2018;Schilliger et al, 2019). Aspects of husbandry have been described as contributors to these and other disease processes in this species (Cannon, 2003). ...
The bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) is a common species in the pet reptile trade and in zoological collections. Despite this, only a few reviews detailing common causes of mortality have been published. The goal of this retrospective study was to compile information related to the presence and prevalence of various diseases in bearded dragons in several private and one zoological collection. Findings from 36 animals, necropsied over a 20-year period were categorized on the basis of the cause of death or euthanasia and the organ system affected. Multiple contributors to death were identified in a subset of animals (n = 12; 33.33%) and were counted in more than one category. The most common contributors to death by category were inflammatory (infectious or non-infectious) diseases (n = 25; 69.44%), followed by chronic/degenerative diseases (n = 17; 47.22%). Diseases or conditions that were systemic, or affected the hepatobiliary system, were the most commonly implicated in death. The most frequent histological findings included hepatic fatty change, renal tubular epithelial pigmentation and the presence of faveolar hyaline-like material. Although Chi square testing did not reveal an association between these common findings and comorbidities, a statistically significant association was found between chronic/degenerative causes of death and renal tubular epithelial pigment. Chi square testing of categorical variables, including contributors to death, primary organ(s) affected, sex, age class and institution, identified statistically significant associations between males and chronic/degenerative disease (P = 0.043) and inflammatory contributors to death and private collection animals (P = 0.039). Death due to inflammatory contributors was significantly higher in the 1–5-year-old and >5-year-old age classes (P = 0.02).
... Mitchell and Garner 12 described spores within granulomatous inflammation of the yolk in a clutch of hatchlings born to parents with confirmed microsporidia, indicating the potential for vertical transmission. Schilliger et al. 17 reported the detection of agamid adenovirus, coccidia, and microsporidia in a single, 2-mo-old inland bearded dragon. In a report by Sokolova et al., 21 sequence analysis of a microsporidium found in an inland bearded dragon suggested it was a separate species, unique to reptiles, and it was named Encephalitozoon pogonae. ...
... All samples from these animals (tissues, swabs, and blood) were PCR positive. Microsporidiosis has been detected in dragons concurrently with agamid adenovirus-1, 17 and so samples were also screened for the presence of this virus using previously described methods. 7 Infection with agamid adenovirus-1 was detected in all animals from Clinical Case A (Dragons 1-5), but not from Clinical Case B (Dragon 6). ...
... Similar disease progressions to Dragon 1 have been described by others. 8,17,22 We were able to make a definitive diagnosis in Dragon 6 antemortem, which is unique for this infection in this species. 18,21 Granulomatous inflammation is a common finding in inland bearded dragons with microsporidiosis. ...
Microsporidia are obligate, intracellular fungi. In reptiles, they are most commonly reported in squamates. We report the first detection of microsporidiosis in inland bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) from Australia, and for the first time, mixed infections of microsporidium and adenovirus in asymptomatic inland bearded dragons. In one collection there were five individuals, one of which was lethargic, inappetent, and had lost weight. Two large ovarian granulomas were palpated (42 × 23 mm and 26 × 19 mm) and were surgically removed. This animal died shortly after surgery. Histological evaluation of these granulomas revealed granulomatous inflammation within or adjacent to ovarian tissue, containing numerous aggregates of microorganisms consistent with microsporidia. The organisms were confirmed as Encephalitozoon pogonae by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. Agamid adenovirus-1 was also detected. These two infectious agents were also detected by PCR in all the other bearded dragons in this collection (n = 5), all of which were asymptomatic. A single dragon from a second collection presented for a routine wellness examination after the sudden death of another dragon in the collection. This dragon had similar intracelomic masses to the dragon from the first collection. These were removed surgically, but the dragon died 5 wk later following 3 wk of treatment with 25 mg/kg fenbendazole PO q7 days. Necropsy samples were collected and the microsporidian Encephalitozoon pogonae was detected in oral-cloacal swabs, blood, and multiple tissues by PCR and sequencing. Agamid adenovirus-1 was not detected in this dragon.
... Whilst PCR to exclude underlying concurrent infections (e.g. agamid adenovirus-1) was not performed, synergism of multiple pathogens (including agamid adenovirus-1, coccidia and microsporidia) has been reported previously in bearded dragons [29] and should be considered in clinical cases. ...
Background
A rescued, captive, adult, male, inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) was presented with chronic swelling of the right upper and lower eyelids, with intermittent blepharospasm.
Case description
Histopathology revealed a proliferative conjunctivitis, including inflammation of the nictitating membrane, along with a mixed, chronic, inflammatory response. Located on the epithelial surface, were numerous, surface oriented apicomplexan organisms, histologically compatible with Cryptosporidium sp. Molecular characterisation revealed these organisms to be most closely related to C. avium based on amplification and sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene.
Conclusions and case relevance
This report describes the diagnosis of spontaneous conjunctivitis involving Cryptosporidium sp. in a reptile; C. avium has not been implicated previously in extra-enteric disease in a non-avian species. Infection by C. avium has only once been reported in lizards and this study provides further evidence that its host range may be broader than anticipated. Cryptosporidiosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis for refractory conjunctivitis in lizards.
... This bearded dragon adenovirus 1 (BDAdV-1) was named also agamid adenovirus 1. Apparently the same virus type was detected also in Austria, Germany and Australia (Kübber-Heiss et al. 2006, Schilliger et al. 2016, Papp et al. 2009, Kubiak 2013, Doneley et al. 2014). However, these and further studies detected genotype differences among the AdVs infecting the bearded dragons raised by hobby terraristic enthusiasts in the USA, Austria, Germany, UK and Australia (Wellehan et al. 2004, Kübber-Heiss et al. 2006, Papp et al. 2009, Schilliger et al. 2016, Kubiak 2013, Doneley et al. 2014, Parkin et al. 2009). ...
... Apparently the same virus type was detected also in Austria, Germany and Australia (Kübber-Heiss et al. 2006, Schilliger et al. 2016, Papp et al. 2009, Kubiak 2013, Doneley et al. 2014). However, these and further studies detected genotype differences among the AdVs infecting the bearded dragons raised by hobby terraristic enthusiasts in the USA, Austria, Germany, UK and Australia (Wellehan et al. 2004, Kübber-Heiss et al. 2006, Papp et al. 2009, Schilliger et al. 2016, Kubiak 2013, Doneley et al. 2014, Parkin et al. 2009). This virus seems to occur also in central netted dragons (Ctenophorus nuchalis) in Australia (Hyndman and Shilton 2011). ...
... Although its pathogenesis is little understood, BDAdV-1 has been linked to various clinical signs, including sudden death, lethargy, weakness, diarrhoea, dehydration and anorexia. It has been proposed that BDAdV-1 may be responsible for central nervous system signs observed in young dragons, namely paresis, head tilt, circling, and opisthotonos, due to its pathology in the liver (Wellehan et al. 2004, Kübber-Heiss et al. 2006, Papp et al. 2009, Parkin et al. 2009, Doneleyet al. 2014, Schilliger et al. 2016. However, subclinical BDAdV-1 infection has also been described (Kubiak 2013). ...
Bearded dragon adenovirus 1 (BDAdV-1), also known as agamid adenovirus 1, has been described worldwide as a prevalent infectious agent of the inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps), the most common squamate exotic pet reptile. Previous limited sequence data of the adenoviral DNA polymerase and hexon genes indicated that BDAdV-1 is a member of genus Atadenovirus family Adenoviridae. Atadenoviruses infect ruminants, marsupials, testudine reptiles and birds, yet the genus has been shown to be of squamate reptile origin. Here, we report a screening survey along with the complete genome sequence of BDAdV-1, derived directly from the sample of a deceased juvenile dragon showing central nervous system signs prior to passing. The BDAdV-1 genome is 35,276 bp and contains 32 putative genes. Its genome organization is characteristic of the members of genus Atadenovirus, however, a divergent LH3 gene indicates structural interactions of different nature compared to other genus members such as snake adenovirus 1. We identified five novel open reading frames (ORFs), three of which encode proteins of the C-type lectin-like domain (CTLD) superfamily. ORF3 has a CTLD group II-like domain architecture displaying structural similarity with natural killer cell surface receptors and with an alphaherpesviral virulence factor gene for neurotropism, UL45. ORF4 and 6 are extremely long compared to typical adenoviral right-end genes and possibly encode members of the CTLD superfamily with novel, previously undescribed domain architectures. BDAdV-1 is the hitherto most divergent member of genus Atadenovirus providing new insights on adenoviral diversity, evolution and pathogenesis.
... Despite optimum conditions, bearded dragons have been known to suffer from anorexia, lethargy and weight loss with symptoms including dehydration and limited reaction 3 . When untreated these cases usually lead to death however, sudden death has occurred in some cases soon after the emergence of signs and symptoms of ill health 4 . Tests done during illness or after death have often revealed gastrointestinal bacterial infections. ...
Central bearded dragons, Pogona vitticeps, are ectothermic heliotherms native to dry and arid regions and are often kept as exotic pets in colder less arid countries. They do however, often fall sick resulting in sudden death. This is now known to be caused by bacterial infections such as Listeria monocytogenes and Porphyromonas pogonae sp. This study therefore, aimed to identify microorganisms present in the buccal cavity of the central bearded dragon (P. vitticeps) in Namibia. In order to achieve this, oral swabs were taken from a bearded dragon found in a garden in Windhoek, Namibia and grown in nutrient agar. Colony morphology was described before Gram’s staining to differentiate the bacteria. The automated VITEK®2 system was used to identify the bacteria. On nutrient agar, opaque yellow circular colonies were observed after 24hrs incubation at 37°C. A gram-positive coccus shaped bacteria was observed. VITEK®2 analysis identified the bacteria as Micrococcus luteus. There has not been a study on the microbiota of the buccal cavity of the central bearded dragon in Namibia.
... As such, poor hygiene housing conditions might lead to massive, clinically relevant parasite burdens with frequent re-and superinfections of monoxenous parasites [14,12,15]. Inland bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) are known to be co-infected with several parasite species and viruses [16,17]. More importantly, the following reptile-borne zoonoses have so far been well documented: Salmonella enteritidis [18,19], pentastomid-(i. ...
Reptiles are becoming popular pets in many parts of the world. They are also known to harbor numerous gastrointestinal parasites. We used faecal smears to examine 748 stool samples from 14 different agamid lizard species. In addition, we used coproantigen ELISA tests (11 samples) and immunofluorescence assays (IFA) (19 samples) to detect reptile Cryptosporidium infections. In 28 cases, veterinarians requested therapy to treat oxyurid- and/or Isospora amphiboluri-infections and resent fecal samples after proposed therapy and anti-parasitic treatments had been applied. We also performed complete dissections of 24 deceased agamas in order to specify protozoan and helminth parasite infections. Overall, the examined fecal samples contained 6 different taxa. Oxyurids (Pharyngodonidae) were the most prevalent nematodes (41.2%), followed by I. amphiboluri (17.0%), Entamoeba spp. (0.8%), Choleoeimeria spp. (0.5%), Trichomonas spp. (0.3%), Cryptosporidium spp. (0.3%) and Strongyloides-like nematodes (0.1%). I. amphiboluri infections were significantly more prevalent (Chi-square test: χ² = 21,5, df = 1, P < 0.001) in juvenile agamid lizards (31.9%) than in adults (14.2%). One of 11 (9.1%) coproantigen ELISA-examined samples was positive for Cryptosporidium. In 10.5% of the samples we found oocysts of Cryptosporidium. Thirteen (54.2%) of necropsied agamid lizards were infected with endoparasites and it is likely that three (12.5%) of them died due to severe parasitic infections. 74.0% of the samples that were submitted after therapy had been applied were negative. The high prevalences and pathological findings of several clinical parasitoses observed in these exotic reptiles calls for more detailed investigations on agamid gastrointestinal parasite fauna.
... Glugea) [3]. In recent years, microsporidiosis of inland bearded dragons has been reported in Austria and the USA and Encephalitozoon pogonae has been described from a fatal case of disseminated infection [4][5][6][7]. Here, we report the first case, to our knowledge, of fatal disseminated microsporidiosis caused by E. pogonae in two bearded dragons in Japan. ...
... In addition, Richter et al. [5] reported two cases of disseminated granulomatous diseases due to a novel genotype of E. cuniculi in Austria. Schilliger et al. [6] also reported E. cuniculi-like microsporidia in an inland bearded dragon in the EU. Sokolova et al. [7] described E. pogonae as a novel species from a study of isolates from inland bearded dragons with disseminated granulomatous diseases in the USA, and the species found in bearded dragons in Austria was later classified as E. pogoinae as well. ...
... The clinical sign shared by the two animals described here is weight loss. The course was chronic and the animals showed anorexia, lethargy and finally death, which were similar to the cases reported in Austria and USA [4][5][6][7]. Although it is difficult to diagnose prenatally since these signs are nonspecific, microsporidiosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic systemic infections that do not respond to antibiotics. ...
Introduction
Encephalitozoon pogonae is a newly described pathogen belonging to the phylum Microsporidia. In Austria and the USA, this species has been isolated from fatal and disseminated cases of captive-bred inland bearded dragons. Here, we report the case of fatal disseminated microsporidiosis caused by E. pogonae in two bearded dragons in Japan.
Case Presentation
The two lizards from different private households in Tokyo, Japan, had been brought to an animal hospital for examination. In both cases, the animal presented with a history of weight loss for several weeks. There were no improvements in clinical symptoms and the lizards deteriorated and finally died. Histopathological examination demonstrated necrotizing granulomatous inflammation attributed to disseminated microsporidian infection. Nucleotide sequencing of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region identified the microsporidian as E. pogonae with sequence identity of 100 %.
Conclusion
We report the first case, to our knowledge, of disseminated microsporidiosis caused by E. pogonae in inland bearded dragons in Japan. Although it is difficult to diagnose prenatally since the signs are nonspecific, the disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic infections that do not respond to antibiotics.
Bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) are popular pets bred in captivity in numerous countries, with considerable international trade of this species. Bearded dragons are sensitive to bearded dragon adenovirus 1 (BDAdv-1) which causes or is closely associated with various clinical symptoms including sudden death, lethargy, weakness, diarrhoea, dehydration, anorexia, retarded growth, and neurological symptoms resulting from liver damage. A fatal disease of two juvenile bearded dragons in Croatia during which adenovirus was detected is described. Weakness, anorexia, cachexia and dehydration were present in the male and the female bearded dragon, in addition to marked opistothonus in the female. The adenovirus was detected by PCR while nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis revealed high homology with BDAdv-1 strains from bearded dragons in the United States, Austria and Germany (>99.6–100%), but also with BDAdv-1 from free-ranging Australian bearded dragons (>99.2%). An attempt to isolate the virus through two passages in duck embryos or ten passages in chicken embryos did not yield a positive result.
Adenoviruses are a relatively common infection of reptiles globally and are most often reported in captive central bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps). We report the first evidence of adenoviruses in bearded dragons in their native habitat in Australia. Oral-cloacal swabs and blood samples were collected from 48 free-ranging bearded dragons from four study populations: western bearded dragons (P. minor minor) from Western Australia (n = 4), central bearded dragons (P. vitticeps) from central Australia (n = 2) and western New South Wales (NSW) (n = 29), and coastal bearded dragons (P. barbata) from south-east Queensland (n = 13). Samples were tested for the presence of adenoviruses using a broadly reactive (pan-adenovirus) PCR and a PCR specific for agamid adenovirus-1. Agamid adenovirus-1 was detected in swabs from eight of the dragons from western NSW and one of the coastal bearded dragons. Lizard atadenovirus A was detected in one of the dragons from western NSW. Adenoviruses were not detected in any blood sample. All bearded dragons, except one, were apparently healthy and so finding these adenoviruses in these animals is consistent with bearded dragons being natural hosts for these viruses.
