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Aerobic Oral Bacteria in Healthy Captive Snakes
Aeroba orala bakterier hos friska ormar i fångenskap
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 27, pages 172–181 (1986)
Abstract
Cotton swab samples were taken from the ventral surface of the mouth and from the proximal esophagus from 23 captive nonpoisonous snakes. The samples were cultured and investigated for aerobic bacteria. Both the mouth and the esophagus) samples of 6 snakes were negative. When the bacterial isolates of the mouth and the esophagus of the whole snake population were compared, it was found that the flora isolated from both locations were similar. However, when the samples of individual snakes were compared it was found that the same isolates were seldom found in both the mouth and the esophagus. The most common bacteria found were Pseudomonas sp., Alcaligenes-like organisms, Gram-positive rods and Gram-positive cocci belonging to the family Micrococcaceae. Important pathogens were seldom isolated. Salmonella virchow could be found from 2 snakes. The presence of bacteriologically negative samples, great variations in the composition of the flora between individual snakes, and the occurrence of typical environmental bacteria in the oral cavity all suggest that snakes lack a specific autochtonous flora: and the bacteria isolated from the oral cavity may be occasional environmental bacteria. The source of pathogens may be the environment, too.
Sammendrag
Med hjälp av bomullsstickor togs prov från munhålans ventrala yta och från matstrupens proximiala del från 23 ickegiftiga ormar i fångenskap. Proven odlades med avseende på aeroba bakterier. Hos 6 ormar var proven från bode munhålan och matstrupen neagtiva. När bakterieisolaten från munhålan och matstrupen från hela ormpopulaitionen jämfördes, kunde man konstatera att floran isolerad från boda ställena var likartad. När däremot prov från individuella ormar jämfördes sinsemellan fann man att samma isolat sällan påvisades både i munhålan och matstrupen. De vanligaste bakterierna var Pseudomonas sp., Alcaligenes-liknande organismer, Gram-positiva stavar och Gram-positiva cocci hörande till familjen Micrococcaecae. Viktiga patogener isolerades sällan. Förekomsten av bagteriologiskt negativa prov, stora variationer i sammansättningen av floran mellan individuella ormar, och förekomst av typiska miljöbakterier i munhålan tyder på att ormarna saknar en specifik autokton flora och att bakterierna isolerade från munhålan kan vara tillfälliga miljöbakterier. De patogena bakterierna kan också härstamma från den omgivande miljön.
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Soveri, T., Seuna, ER. Aerobic Oral Bacteria in Healthy Captive Snakes. Acta Vet Scand 27, 172–181 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548162
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548162