Abstracts 2011 - Framingham State University

Krysten Dufort
Parasitism of imported Green Tree
Pythons (Morelia viridis) and Scrub
Pythons (Morelia amethistina).
Millions of wild-caught reptiles are traded in the exotic pet trade every year. The
majority of these reptiles come from Indonesia and Malaysia, and among these reptiles
the most commonly traded snake genera are Cobras (Naja) and Pythons (Python).
Many of these reptiles are parasitized, as they come from tropical areas with high
parasite abundance. In the wild, reptiles often demonstrate a balanced host-parasite
relationship, where the parasite thrives with little to no effects on the hosts’ fitness and
health. However, when reptiles are brought into captivity, the extra stress suppresses
the reptile’s immune system, making them more susceptible to the negative effects of
parasitism. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the parasites
found in wild-caught Green Tree Pythons (Morelia viridis) and Scrub Pythons (Morelia
amethistina) imported from Indonesia. Twenty snakes were dissected and their organs
were examined for parasites. Fifty percent of the snakes examined were parasitized
with a mean parasite load of 7.4 parasites per snake. A total of 74 parasites were
found, all of which were nematodes found in the digestive tract of the snakes. There
was no significant difference (p=0.09) in the mean number of parasites found in male
and female Green Tree Pythons, however the female parasite load was 7 times higher
than the males. Positive allometry was observed between snout-vent-length (SVL)
and number of parasites (mass exponent = 1.8). Females were significantly longer
than males (p=0.007), possibly explaining the higher parasite loads in female Green
Tree Pythons. The older the host, the greater the intensity of infection, and because
snakes exhibit indeterminate growth, larger snakes were expected to have higher
parasite loads. Overall, this study provided a better understanding of the types of
parasites found in Green Tree Pythons as well as the locations where they are
commonly found.
Green Tree Python Scrub Python
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green_Tree_Python.jpg
# of parasites
100
10
# of parasites in Green Tree Pythons
increases with snout-vent-length
y = 0.0016x 1.7857
R² = 0.1881
Female
Male
Juvenile
1
10 100 1000
(Allometry: note log scale)
SVL (cm)