Abstract

Fungal pathogens and resultant disease are credited with the decline of many species across all branches of the tree of life. Fungal diseases such as Snake Fungal Disease (SFD), primarily caused by the fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola (Oo), have been strongly associated with the cause of the decrease/disappearance of many snake populations in North America. To date SFD in the wild has been described as far southwest as central Louisiana. Due to similar conditions and the proximity of East Texas to central Louisiana, a survey of local snake populations provided crucial information about the spread and presence of this emerging pathogen. In total (54) snakes were sampled between July 2019 through September 2020, and four putative positives for Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola infections were identified.

Date of publication

Fall 12-11-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Language

english

Persistent identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10950/2775

Committee members

Lance Williams, Neil Ford, Ali Azghani, Marsha Williams

Degree

Masters in Biology

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