Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF ANATOLIAN ENVIRONMENTAL AND ANIMAL SCIENCES, cilt.7, sa.4, ss.412-416, 2022 (TRDizin)
Reptiles are one of the popular companion animals today. The fact that they are
ectothermic and require specific care conditions for a healthy life distinguishes these species from
other popular species and also creates conditions for reptiles to be cared. When these conditions
are not met, diseases can be seen because they cannot develop an adequate immune response.
Mycobacterial species can live without infecting a host as long as the reptile has a strong immune
system. Therefore, these bacterial strains mostly infect reptiles that have been exposed to poor
environmental conditions resulting in high bacterial shedding. Mycobacteriosis agents shed from
the bodies of reptiles can survive in the environment for a long time due to their resistance to
environmental conditions, and they can be found in living spaces, litters and equipment even if
the infected animal is removed from the environment. During contact with reptiles with
mycobacteriosis, habitat cleaning and maintenance, mycobacteriosis agents in animals and in the
environment can be transmitted to humans through contact and mechanical carriers, and
granulomatous lesions may develop in humans. Mycobacteriosis is a very important disease for
human health as it is a zoonotic disease. Today, mycobacteriosis remains one of the important
reptile diseases due to the lack of effective treatment in animals and the difficulty of antemortem
diagnosis. In this article, a case of mycobacteriosis in a yellow rat snake presented. Post-mortem
diagnostic methods for mycobacteriosis, histopathological examination method, isolation and
identification of the agent is presented, different identification methods and what can be done for
ante-mortem diagnosis are mentioned. Reptile mycobacteriosis agents, the predisposing factors,
the development of the disease, the importance of reptile and human health were evaluated.