Documenting the Presence of Snake Fungal Disease in Western Kentucky

Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola (Oo) is the causative agent of snake fungal disease (SFD) in wild and captive snakes. Snake fungal disease may be an additive source of mortality for snake populations already declining due to anthropogenic disturbances as the average mortality rate of SFD is 40%. SFD can be found in many snake species in the United States, but little information on SFD exists in western Kentucky. We hand-captured a total of 46 snakes from 11 different species on the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area and surrounding areas in western KY. We collected swabs from each individual and conducted quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction analysis to determine if any of the snakes captured had Oo present. We detected the presence of Oo on 4 different species and 20% (n = 9) of all individuals captured. We plan to continue this research in 2019 to increase our sample size and the diversity of snake species captured