Pathological and Microbiological Findings in Fatal Cases of Salmonellosis in Captive Bothrops Snakes in Southern Brazil

Salmonella spp. are gram-negative commensal bacteria of vertebrates, including reptiles. Infected snakes may be asymptomatic or manifest clinical disease and death, especially after stressful events. Salmonellosis was diagnosed in 10 captive snakes from the Bothrops genus. The most frequent changes were emaciation (8/10), fibrinonecrotic or granulomatous hepatitis (8/9), fibrinonecrotic or granulomatous enterocolitis (8/9), necrotic and heterophilic myocarditis (2/10), fibrinonecrotic or granulomatous pancreatitis (2/5), fibrinoheterophilic osteomyelitis (1/10), fibrinous and pyogranulomatous pericarditis (1/10) and granulomatous splenitis (1/6). Salmonella enterica was isolated from six cases. The subspecies identified were arizonae (3/6), diarizonae (1/6) and houtenae (1/6), in addition to the serotype Typhimurium (1/6). In cases without isolation, there was immunolabelling of Salmonella spp. in intestinal (3/4), hepatic (1/4) and cardiac (1/4) lesions.