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The Veterinary Clinics of North... May 2024The health of hatchling, juvenile, and young adult reptiles continues to be plagued by historic nutritional deficiencies, old and emerging infectious diseases, and more... (Review)
Review
The health of hatchling, juvenile, and young adult reptiles continues to be plagued by historic nutritional deficiencies, old and emerging infectious diseases, and more recent phenotype-selective congenital abnormalities that impact welfare. Knowledge of mating seasonality, average egg counts, gestation times, and age and/or size for sexual maturity is necessary to help guide best practices for care of pediatric reptiles. Calcium, vitamin D3, and ultraviolet B (UVB) lighting recommendations vary in effectiveness amongst different species and can change with age. Phenotype-selective color patterns for spider ball pythons and scalation pattern for bearded dragons have resulted in vestibular disease, and increased evaporative water loss, respectively. Salmonellosis remains the most reported zoonotic disease for captive reptiles in the United States, despite improvements in client education and improvements in captive reptile husbandry.
Topics: Humans; Animals; United States; Reptiles; Lizards; Salmonella Infections; Zoonoses; Communicable Diseases, Emerging; Ultraviolet Rays
PubMed: 38097491
DOI: 10.1016/j.cvex.2023.11.013 -
Current Biology : CB Feb 2024Tim Roth and Aaron Krochmal discuss reptile cognition in an integrative and comparative light.
Tim Roth and Aaron Krochmal discuss reptile cognition in an integrative and comparative light.
Topics: Animals; Reptiles; Cognition
PubMed: 38412817
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.048 -
Nature Ecology & Evolution Mar 2024
Topics: Animals; Bone and Bones; Fossils; Dinosaurs
PubMed: 38378805
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02325-8 -
Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part... Nov 2023The relationship between the thyroid gland and reproduction in amphibians and reptiles has been studied for more than 100 years. Most studies suggest a positive...
The relationship between the thyroid gland and reproduction in amphibians and reptiles has been studied for more than 100 years. Most studies suggest a positive involvement of thyroid hormones with some aspects of reproduction, but some studies support a negative role for thyroid hormones at certain life stages. Comprehensive studies of gene activation/suppression by thyroid hormones and their absence at various levels of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis coupled with observations of adrenocorticoid activity, reproductive performance, and metabolic involvement are needed to understand this complex relationship.
Topics: Animals; Thyroid Gland; Reptiles; Amphibians; Thyroid Hormones; Reproduction
PubMed: 37522483
DOI: 10.1002/jez.2737 -
Viruses Oct 2023Tobamoviruses are plant-infecting viruses with an ancient lineage, understood to have arisen during the age of the dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period 145-66 million...
Tobamoviruses are plant-infecting viruses with an ancient lineage, understood to have arisen during the age of the dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period 145-66 million years ago [...].
Topics: Animals; Phylogeny; Tobamovirus; Plant Viruses; Dinosaurs
PubMed: 38005852
DOI: 10.3390/v15112174 -
Seminars in Nuclear Medicine Sep 2023The bulk of biomedical positron emission tomography (PET)-scanning experiments are performed on mammals (ie, rodents, pigs, and dogs), and the technique is only... (Review)
Review
The bulk of biomedical positron emission tomography (PET)-scanning experiments are performed on mammals (ie, rodents, pigs, and dogs), and the technique is only infrequently applied to answer research questions in ectothermic vertebrates such as fish, amphibians, and reptiles. Nevertheless, many unique and interesting physiological characteristics in these ectothermic vertebrates could be addressed in detail through PET. The low metabolic rate of ectothermic animals, however, may compromise the validity of physiological and biochemical parameters derived from the images created by PET and other scanning modalities. Here, we review some of the considerations that should be taken into account when PET scanning fish, amphibians, and reptiles. We present specific results from our own experiments, many of which remain previously unpublished, and we draw on examples from the literature. We conclude that knowledge on the natural history and physiology of the species studied and an understanding of the limitations of the PET scanning techniques are necessary to avoid the design of faulty experiments and erroneous conclusions.
Topics: Animals; Swine; Dogs; Vertebrates; Reptiles; Amphibians; Fishes; Positron-Emission Tomography; Mammals
PubMed: 37438172
DOI: 10.1053/j.semnuclmed.2023.06.006 -
Physiological Genomics Nov 2023Although there are more than 10,000 reptile species, and reptiles have historically contributed to our understanding of biology, genetics research into class Reptilia...
Although there are more than 10,000 reptile species, and reptiles have historically contributed to our understanding of biology, genetics research into class Reptilia has lagged compared with other animals. Here, we summarize recent progress in genetics of coloration in reptiles, with a focus on the leopard gecko, . We highlight genetic approaches that have been used to examine variation in color and pattern formation in this species as well as to provide insights into mechanisms underlying skin cancer. We propose that their long breeding history in captivity makes leopard geckos one of the most promising emerging reptilian models for genetic studies. More broadly, technological advances in genetics, genomics, and gene editing may herald a golden era for studies of reptile biology.
Topics: Animals; Lizards; Genomics
PubMed: 37642275
DOI: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00015.2023 -
Nature Reviews. Urology Dec 2023Evolution of the vertebrate urinary system occurs in response to numerous selective pressures, which have been incompletely characterized. Developing research into... (Review)
Review
Evolution of the vertebrate urinary system occurs in response to numerous selective pressures, which have been incompletely characterized. Developing research into urinary evolution led to the occurrence of clinical applications and insights in paediatric urology, reproductive medicine, urolithiasis and other domains. Each nephron segment and urinary organ has functions that can be contextualized within an evolutionary framework. For example, the structure and function of the glomerulus and proximal tubule are highly conserved, enabling blood cells and proteins to be retained, and facilitating the elimination of oceanic Ca and Mg. Urea emerged as an osmotic mediator during evolution, as cells of large organisms required increased precision in the internal regulation of salinity and solutes. As the first vertebrates moved from water to land, acid-base regulation was shifted from gills to skin and kidneys in amphibians. In reptiles and birds, solute regulation no longer occurred through the skin but through nasal salt glands and post-renally, within the cloaca and the rectum. In placental mammals, nasal salt glands are absent and the rectum and urinary tracts became separate, which limited post-renal urine concentration and led to the necessity of a kidney capable of high urine concentration. Considering the evolutionary and environmental selective pressures that have contributed to renal evolution can help to gain an increased understanding of renal physiology.
Topics: Female; Humans; Pregnancy; Animals; Child; Placenta; Vertebrates; Kidney; Reptiles; Birds; Mammals
PubMed: 37443264
DOI: 10.1038/s41585-023-00794-3 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Dec 2023Until a few decades ago, play was considered a behavior unique to birds and mammals. Although play in other vertebrates is still a neglected research subject, data on it... (Review)
Review
Until a few decades ago, play was considered a behavior unique to birds and mammals. Although play in other vertebrates is still a neglected research subject, data on it has been slowly accumulating, and are reviewed here. Now we know that animals as diverse as stingrays, cichlid fishes, monitor lizards, softshell turtles, and crocodiles can be unexpectedly playful. This knowledge has implications to broader theoretical problems, but much more research attention is needed to utilize its potential.
Topics: Animals; Turtles; Lizards; Birds; Mammals
PubMed: 37863279
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105428 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Jul 2023The world-famous markets of Marrakech, also known in Arabic as souks, harbor a vast diversity of reptiles that are sold for medicinal/magic/pet purposes or used for...
The world-famous markets of Marrakech, also known in Arabic as souks, harbor a vast diversity of reptiles that are sold for medicinal/magic/pet purposes or used for snake charming. This unique epidemiological context has never been studied considering the interactions of humans, reptiles, and zoonotic pathogens. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify the parasites and pathogens present in blood and feces associated with handled reptiles in the markets of Marrakech to assess the risk of zoonotic transmission within the reptile-human interface. Privately owned reptiles (n = 118), coming from vendors or snake charmers, were examined and blood and feces sampled. DNA was extracted and molecular screening (cPCR, nPCR, qPCR, dqPCR) was performed aiming to identify potentially zoonotic pathogens (i.e., Anaplasma/Ehrlichia spp., Rickettsia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Coxiella burnetii, Babesia/Theileria spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia spp., Leishmania spp., Cestoda). Overall, 28.9% (34/118) of reptiles were positive for at least one pathogen. In blood, Anaplasma spp. were detected in four snakes, with two Montpellier snakes positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, while Rickettsia spp. were detected in one Mediterranean chameleon and four puff adders. Leishmania tarentolae was molecularly detected in a Mediterranean chameleon and a Montpellier snake. In feces, the cox1 gene generated a myriad of sequences for nematodes, cestodes, fungi and bacteria. Importantly, Proteus vulgaris was identified from a Mediterranean chameleon. Cryptosporidium spp. nPCR yielded a positive sample (i.e., Cryptosporidium sp. apodemus genotype I) from a Moroccan worm lizard, as well as for bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an Egyptian cobra, and Morganella morganii from a puff adder. Results from this study demonstrated the risk of zoonotic transmission of microorganisms and parasites present in blood and feces from reptiles that are brought to the souks in Marrakech, Morocco, to be sold for medicinal purposes or used for snake charming, being in direct and straight contact with humans.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Cryptosporidiosis; Morocco; Cryptosporidium; Rickettsia; Parasites; Anaplasma; Snakes; Reptiles
PubMed: 37467211
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011431