https://www.vetsurgeon.org/f/clinical-questions/19836/cryptosporidia We recently found a postive sample to Cryptosporidia on a faecal sample of a Python. From what I remember (and my reptile medicine is fairly rusty) Crypto is extremely difficult to eliminate in these animals. The animal is at a local zoo and kepten-USTelligent Community 10https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/119115?ContentTypeID=1Wed, 13 Aug 2014 09:37:02 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:4f390d41-053c-4ecf-83d4-7ce3c75f843fTony Knapp<p>If I remember correctly C.surophilium is not usually an issue for snakes (they seem to carry it without suffering disease) but C.serpentis is, and both are problems for other reptile, although has been a while since I read through that ton of the literature. </p> <p>In a collection of reptiles isolation and screening would be paramount, this disease has a habit of slow progression and intermittant shedding which means diagnosing is irritatingly hard and spreading is irritatingly easy, we had a breeding colony donated to the vet school as it was infected, they had to clear it out entirely and restock because despite a culling policy it kept getting through (I can&#39;t speak for how well implimented this policy or barrier policies were enforced, but I know they tried). </p> <p>Checking it&#39;s not a mammal crypto first is a good idea, and in my experience metronidazole is ineffective despite it&#39;s activty against other protozoa.</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>https://www.vetsurgeon.org/thread/119112?ContentTypeID=1Wed, 13 Aug 2014 08:35:17 GMT146601cc-3922-4be7-9974-7e1d4e45a66b:c0a700e1-e36e-4279-9a09-24270fd0af6bMarie Kubiak<p>Crypto is practically impossible to eliminate if reptilian in origin. Before causing panic I would call the lab and ask if they can sort a PCR to decide if it is C. serpentis, C. varanii (C. saurophilum) or C. muris. If muris then no problem as it is just mouse cryptosporidia passing through. Pythons are not commonly infected so hopefully this will be the case. If one of the reptilian subtypes is found then you need to think about removal from the collection and a screening protocol for all others (especially the colubrids as these are usually the main hosts) which can be tricky given the insensitivity of faecal testing.</p> <p>Alternatively gastric biopsy (endoscopic or surgical) will show if you have pathogenic crypto present but obviously is more invasive.</p> <p>Marie</p><div style="clear:both;"></div>