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1 December 2010 Ultrasonographic Diagnosis of an Endocarditis Valvularis in a Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus) with Pneumonia
Sandra Schroff, Volker Schmidt, Ingmar Kiefer, Maria-Elisabeth Krautwald-Junghanns, Michael Pees
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Abstract

An 11-yr-old Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) was presented with a history of respiratory symptoms. Computed tomography and an endoscopic examination of the left lung were performed and revealed severe pneumonia. Microbiologic examination of a tracheal wash sample and an endoscopy-guided sample from the lung confirmed infection with Salmonella enterica ssp. IV, Enterobacter cloacae, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Computed tomographic examination demonstrated a hyperattenuated structure within the heart. Echocardiographic examination revealed a hyperechoic mass at the pulmonic valve as well as a dilated truncus pulmonalis. As therapy for pneumonia was ineffective, the snake was euthanized. Postmortem examination confirmed pneumonia and infective endocarditis of the pulmonic valve caused by septicemia with Salmonella enterica ssp. IV. Focal arteriosclerosis of the pulmonary trunk was also diagnosed. The case presented here demonstrates the possible connection between respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in snakes.

Sandra Schroff, Volker Schmidt, Ingmar Kiefer, Maria-Elisabeth Krautwald-Junghanns, and Michael Pees "Ultrasonographic Diagnosis of an Endocarditis Valvularis in a Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus) with Pneumonia," Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 41(4), 721-724, (1 December 2010). https://doi.org/10.1638/2009-0240.1
Received: 25 November 2009; Published: 1 December 2010
KEYWORDS
echocardiography
endocarditis
pneumonia
snake
Ultrasonography
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