Mycotic dermatitis with digital gangrene and osteomyelitis, and protozoal intestinal parasitism in Marlborough green geckos (Naultinus manukanus)

Abstract

CASE HISTORY: Thirty adult Marlborough green geckos (Naultinus manukanus) were collected from Stephens Island and held over winter, prior to their translocation. Five adult geckos developed skin lesions after husbandry changes affected the humidity of their enclosures. Two geckos underwent ecdysis and recovered. One animal died and two others progressively worsened and were presented for treatment.

CLINICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS: The geckos were in poor body condition and had multiple black powdery lesions and solitary raised white nodules on their skin. Both geckos died despite topical and supportive treatment. Histopathology showed the skin nodules contained branching non-septate hyphae infiltrating necrotic epidermal tissue, and associated dermal inflammation. There was necrosis of several digits and mycotic osteomyelitis. Mucor ramosissimus was cultured from skin biopsies from each animal. Large numbers of motile protozoa, resembling Trichomonas, and another unidentifiable, were recovered from fresh faecal smears, and Nyctotherus sp protozoa were present in the lumen of the intestine of one animal post mortem.

DIAGNOSIS: Mycotic dermatitis with digital gangrene and osteomyelitis due to Mucor ramosissimus, and enteric protozoal parasitism with Trichomonas sp and Nyctotherus sp.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The clinical course and pathological findings of mycotic dermatitis in two Marlborough green geckos involved in a wildlife translocation in New Zealand are reported, and also the first record of the Marlborough green gecko as a host for the enteric protozoa Trichomonas sp and Nyctotherus sp.

KEY WORDS:

• Reptile disease
• Mucor
• enteric protozoa
• Trichomonas
• Nyctotherus
• translocation
• wildlife

Acknowledgements

We thank numerous field assistants, Susan Keall and Clare Green for caring for animals, Scott Carver as the courier, Pat Davey and Evelyn Lupton for histological processing, and Lyn Rogers for the fungal cultures. Financial support was provided by Shell New Zealand, the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, the VUW Postgraduate Scholarship Committee, and the New Zealand Federation for Graduate Women Committee.

Notes

¹ KM Hare and R Hitchmough, Victoria University of Wellington and Department of Conservation, respectively, Wellington, New Zealand