Where It All\nBegan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n SFD is caused by a fungus called Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola,<\/em> which has been present\nin the environment for over a century. So why is it affecting snakes now?\nClimate change may very well be the answer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis pathogen has been\naround for a long time,\u201d Dr. Lorch said, \u201cbut changes in the environment can\nfacilitate the disease becoming more common or more severe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Real Problems<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike mammals,\namphibians and reptiles are ectotherms, so they rely on the environment to\nregulate their temperature. As a result, they are more susceptible to climate\nchange. For example, reptiles can\u2019t have \u201cfevers\u201d to help them fight off\ndisease like mammals can. They have to relocate themselves to warmer areas to\naccomplish a similar effect. \u201cClimate change has led to cooler and wetter springs in the\nnortheastern United States, which is not ideal for snakes trying to fight off\nSFD,\u201d Dr. Lorch explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Snakes often develop SFD during hibernation, likely due to increased transmission from groups of snakes concentrated in overwintering areas. This can lead to snakes exhibiting \u201crisky\u201d behavior, such as leaving their dens too early in search of sunlight to induce a fever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Snakes are also having a hard time finding the microclimates\nthey need due to fire suppression, development, and habitat fragmentation. If\nyou combine the effects of all these factors with the effects of disease, the\nfuture of snake populations may be quite bleak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To make matters worse, it\u2019s hard to pin-point what causes\ndisease. As Dr. Lorch likes to say, \u201creptiles decompose while they\u2019re still\nalive.\u201d On an infected reptile, you will find many pathogens. It can be\nchallenging to differentiate the primary <\/em>pathogen\n(the pathogen that caused the disease) from the pathogens that came after\ninfection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To find the pathogen that causes SFD, Dr. Lorch and fellow researchers\nhad to act like detectives at a murder mystery party, searching through the\npathogens present on snakes for the true criminal. Eventually, they found that Ophidiomyces\nophiodiicola <\/em>is indeed the\nSFD-causing agent when red corn snakes (Pantherophis\nguttatus<\/em>) infected with the\nfungus developed SFD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No Hope for a Cure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, a cure is not practical, which is true for\nmost wildlife diseases. \u201cOnce a pathogen is established, it is almost\nimpossible to get rid of it,\u201d said Dr. Lorch. Eradication requires that you\ncapture and treat every single infected animal. This is not realistic for most\nspecies, but especially not for snakes which are typically elusive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n SFD can persist in the environment, so eradication would\nalso require treating entire ecosystems. Dr. Lorch emphasized that \u201cwhen it\ncomes to fungal diseases, exposure doesn\u2019t result in lifelong immunity.\u201d If the\nunderlying problem is not addressed, animals will just become re-infected. It\nis more worthwhile to protect suitable habitats, combat climate change, and prevent diseases from\nbecoming an issue to begin with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So what?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you don\u2019t like snakes, or perhaps even fear them, you\nshould know that snakes benefit humans more than you might think. Snakes prey\non animals that destroy agricultural crops and transmit disease. Rattlesnakes\nin the northeastern U.S. may even impact the populations of rodents that serve\nas reservoirs of Lyme disease. Snakes are also an important food source for\nmany species of vertebrates, such as hawks and owls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bigger Picture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Disease is one of the greatest\nthreats to biodiversity around the globe. \u201cOther environmental threats,\u201d said\nDr. Lorch, \u201csuch as habitat loss and overhunting, happen relatively gradually.\nDisease can be difficult to predict, and cause damage rapidly.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n As we are all now\nkeenly aware, this rings true for human diseases as well. The COVID-19\npandemic<\/a> is a zoonotic disease, which is a\ndisease that can jump between animals and humans. While reptiles are rarely\nvectors of <\/p>\n\n\n\n zoonotic diseases,\nother wildlife such as bats and rodents certainly are. It has perhaps never\nbeen more clear that we must take action against these threats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Disease may be\nunpredictable, but that doesn\u2019t mean there is nothing we can do. The key to\ncombating it is education and prevention. \u201cIn secondary school, many of us\nlearned about the destruction of the ozone and the Amazon rainforest, but how\nmany of us learned about invasive species? How many of us learned about disease ecology?\u201d said Dr. Lorch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We need to create curriculums based on comprehensive environmental\nhealth. We must instill the profound\nvalue of wildlife and ecosystem services in young people. As Jane Goodall once said<\/a>, \u201cThere is not much point in doing this\nconservation work\u2026if we are not at the same time devoting huge amounts of\nenergy to raising young people to be better stewards than we have been.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Lauren Berkley It\u2019s spring time in Vermont. Bright green buds are sprouting and the snow is finally melting. Black bears are waking up, songbirds are returning from their wintering grounds, and spring peepers are filling the evenings with their … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/bmosher1-fieldherp\/files\/2020\/07\/Berkley_1.png\")
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