Radiographic Aspects of Pentastomiasis in Southern American Bushmaster (Lachesis rhombeata)

TL;DR

This paper reports the first case of radiographic imaging of pentastomid parasites in a Southern American bushmaster snake, linking the imaging findings to post-mortem confirmation.

Contribution

The study presents the first documented correlation between radiographic and macroscopic findings of pentastomid infection in snakes.

Findings

Radiographic imaging revealed long cylindrical structures in the snake's respiratory system with specific radiodensity and size.

Post-mortem examination confirmed the presence of Porocephalus stilesi parasites in the snake's lungs.

This case is the first to correlate radiographic and macroscopic findings of pentastomid infection in snakes.

Abstract

Pentastomids are parasites of the respiratory system of reptiles, birds, and mammals, where they can cause lesions resulting in the death of their intermediate hosts. This report describes radiographic aspects of pulmonary pentastomid infection in the Southern American bushmaster (Lachesis rhombeata). A female juvenile snake rescued in an urban area of the Northeast region of Brazil presented with lethargic behavior. Radiographic examination of the coelom cavity showed long cylindrical structures in the respiratory system with soft tissue radiodensity and width ranging between 4.0 and 5.0 mm. The next day, the snake died and was submitted to necropsy, where lung parasites were discovered, which were later identified as Porocephalus stilesi. A case of correlation between radiographic and macroscopic findings of pentastomid in snakes has not previously been reported.

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