Parasites & Zoonoses

Copyright 1996-98 © Dale Carnegie & Associates, Inc.

Parasites & Zoonoses

• Parasites are extremely common in reptiles

• Some parasites pose a threat to the reptiles’ health

• Some parasites pose a threat to human health

Topics to discuss

1. What are zoonoses?

2. What can we do to protect ourselves?

3. What parasites are harmful to our reptiles?

4. What can we do to protect our reptiles?

Question:

Has anyone here dealt with reptile parasites?

What are zoonoses?

• Diseases that have the potential to be transmitted to man from animals

• There will be an increase in disease transmission between reptiles and humans as pet reptiles are becoming more popular than ever before

Examples of zoonotic disease1.Salmonella and other bacterial infections

2. Fungal infections

3. Viruses

4. Protozoa – single celled organisms

5. Helminthes – worms

6. Ticks

Filarial Worms

Symptoms:

• Wide range of symptoms with all these zoonotic diseases

• Salmonella – abdominal pain/cramps, diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, fever

The #1 cause of disease transmission (zoonoses) between reptiles and humans is poor hygiene

fecal – oral route

How do we protect ourselves from Zoonoses?

• Keep things clean!

- clean and disinfect enclosures and accessories frequently

- do not use the bathtub or kitchen sink as a tub for your reptile

- drain water and fecal material into the toilet

- wear gloves/face masks when cleaning soiled areas

What not to do

Other things to consider:

• Wash you hands with hot soapy water after handling/cleaning your reptiles

• Supervise children

• House reptiles away from kitchen area

• Keep other pets in house away from enclosures & water dishes

• Do not ignore scratches/bites from reptiles

• Have a fecal test done at least once a year

What not to do

Points of interest

1. A positive test for a parasite in a reptile does not necessarily mean a human will be infected

2. Humans that are most at risk are young/elderly and immunosuppressed

• Children under age 2

• elderly people

• Anyone already fighting off a disease

3. Feeding live food contributes to higher risk than killed food

• Studies show mice frozen for 30 days destroys parasites they may be harboring

Fun Fact #1

• Before selling turtles in pet stores became illegal in the US ~280 000 of estimated 2 million salmonella cases seen yearly were turtle associated

Fun Fact #2

• Although venomous snake bites aren’t actually a zoonotic disease they are considered a potential for serious human injury

• ~45 000 people are bitten by snakes per year in the US; 8000 cases are venomous, ~15 deaths per year

Any questions so far?

Which parasites are harmful to our reptiles?

• All parasites that can infect reptiles can harm them BUT not all parasite infections cause illness

• Very common for reptiles to be infected with parasites and seem clinically healthy

• All wild reptiles have normal parasite burden

• Many hidden infections (seeming healthy reptile) can become diseases if stress is put on the reptile

- shipping from 1 location to another

- new/unnatural environment

- diet changes

Signs/symptoms of reptiles

• Can be almost anything

• Very common to have gastrointestinal problems (i.e. diarrhea, constipation, regurgitation)

• Anorexia, lethargy, behavioral changes, weight loss

Testing

• Just because a test in positive for a parasite does not necessarily mean the reptile should be treated

• If treating, must consider the parasites’ life cycle

Direct vs. Indirect

• Direct life cycle means only one host (the reptile) is needed to complete the parasites’ life cycle

- potential to reinfect host by contamination; much harder to get rid of

• Indirect life cycle means at least 2 different hosts (eg. mouse and reptile) are needed to complete the parasites’ life cycle

- treat reptile with appropriate medication and remove 1 host

- cannot reinfect

Positive test

• For single-celled parasites (protozoa which are normally found in gut) treatment is only required when reptile is showing signs of illness

• For salmonella antibiotic treatment may not eliminate all bacteria so should not be used (resistance)

• Having a positive test for a parasite allows us to know how careful we need to be when cleaning/handling/housing animals together

Accuracy

• Fecal tests are extremely accurate when a parasite is identified

• Parasites are not shed every time the reptile has a bowel movement

• Therefore fecals are only accurate ~40% of the time

Pinworm Egg

False Positive Results

• Since some of our reptiles eat other insects/mammals we can get false positive results on a fecal test

• The ‘food’ for our reptiles could be harboring its own parasites which may show up on the fecal test

• If confirmation is needed then biopsies are taken

Coccidia

What can we do to protect our reptiles from parasites?

• Cannot use preventative deworming like we do in cats & dogs

• Prevention is always better than treatment so sanitation is key

• Quarantine all new reptiles for at least 30 days before adding them into your group (most parasite life cycles are ~30 days)

To Conclude:

Points to remember

• Zoonoses are diseases than can be transmitted from animals to humans

• Proper hygiene plays a major role in preventing infections in humans and reptiles

• All parasites can harm your reptile but if your reptile is not showing signs of illness, treatment is not recommended

• Keep new reptiles separated from the rest of the group for at least 30 days to minimize transmission of parasites

Thank you for your time!

Questions?