Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ball pythons with tongue worm infection causing breathing problems
By Gałęcki, Remigiusz et al.·Published in Annals of parasitology·2016·Department of Parasitology and Invasive Diseases·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Tongue worm (Pentastomida) infection in ball pythons (Python regius) – a case report.
- Species:
- reptile
Plain-English summary
Two ball pythons were brought to the vet because they were having trouble breathing and showed signs of poor health. The diagnosis revealed they had a tongue worm infection, which is a type of parasite that can affect reptiles. The vet treated them with a medication called fenbendazole, given at a specific dose and repeated after a week. Thankfully, this treatment was effective, and both pythons showed improvement in their health and respiratory symptoms.
People also search for: ball python breathing problems · tongue worm infection in reptiles · fenbendazole for snakes
Abstract
Tongue worms (Pentastomida) are endoparasites causing pentastomiasis, an invasive disease representing a threat to exotic animals and humans. Animals acquire infection via the alimentary tract. In reptiles, the parasite is present in the lungs, resulting in symptoms from the respiratory system. Pentastomiasis may be asymptomatic, but nonspecific symptoms may occur at high parasite concentrations. Due to the harmful effects of many antiparasitic substances, tongue worm invasion in reptiles remains not fully treatable. Although pentasomiasis is rarely diagnosed in Poland, pentastomids were diagnosed in two ball pythons, who were patients of the “Poliklinika Weterynaryjna” veterinary clinic. They demonstrated problems with the respiratory system and a significant deterioration of health. Fenbendazole at a dose of 100 mg/kg b.w., repeated after 7 days was shown to be effective.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28170213/