Campylobacter in Reptiles

In veterinary practice we see Campylobacter infections in dogs every week. It is a bacteria of importance when testing faecal samples for diarrhoea symptoms.

But what about reptiles?

A study a few years back in the United Kingdom suggested that reptiles may be reservoirs of this infection. We do not know exactly percentages of reptiles that carry the parasite because we simply don't routinely look for it. What we do know is that the more we look for this bacteria in reptile samples, the more we find.

This could mean that there may well be a risk to dogs and cats, but also public health, because there is zoonotic potential.

Our Reptile Platinum Test looks for all parasitic forms detectable thorugh wet mounts, flotations, sedimentations and staining, but also antigen-antibody tests for Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Salmonella and Campylobacter.

Prevalence of Campylobacter in captive reptiles in the United Kingdom will be another line of research we will be carrying out for the forseeable future. This is how we learn more about pathogens and progress the amazing fields of microbiology and parasitology of reptiles as we venture in to the unknown.