Snake Oral Swabbing

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For information about oral samples for viral or bacterial testing with your snake, contact your veterinarian. The lab we use and recommend is at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.
The snake in this video is Tendy, a 10 year old Australian Olive Python (Liasis olivaceous) kept by Lori Torrini of Behavior Education LLC and whose veterinarian is Dr. Liza Pfaff of Critter Care Animal Hospital, Colorado.
Vocabulary:
Choana - the open slit-like structure on the roof of the snake's mouth.
Esophagus - a long tube that connects the mouth to the stomach.
Glottis - a small opening in the bottom of a snake's mouth that connects to the trachea (windpipe).
Resources:
University of Florida
cdpm.vetmed.uf...
Critter Care Animal Hospital, Dr. Liza Pfaff, DVM
www.critterhos...
Boon, M. A., Iredale, M. E., Tillis, S. B., & Ossiboff, R. J. (2023). Ophidian Serpentoviruses: A Review and Perspective. Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery, 33(4), 205-216.
Hoon-Hanks, L. L., Ossiboff, R. J., Bartolini, P., Fogelson, S. B., Perry, S. M., Stöhr, A. C., ... & Stenglein, M. D. (2019). Longitudinal and cross-sectional sampling of serpentovirus (nidovirus) infection in captive snakes reveals high prevalence, persistent infection, and increased mortality in pythons and divergent serpentovirus infection in boas and colubrids. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 6, 338.
Marschang, R. E., Salzmann, E., & Pees, M. (2021). Diagnostics of Infectious respiratory pathogens in reptiles. Veterinary Clinics: Exotic Animal Practice, 24(2), 369-395.