Evaluation of the environmental persistency of Devriesea agamarum and the development of an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the assessment of antibody response in lizards against Devriesea agamarum.

Abstract

Devriesea agamarum is a facultative pathogen able to cause dermatitis in agamid lizards when the integrity of the skin is breached. This study investigated the environmental persistency of Devriesea agamarum under various conditions and temperatures. This study emphasizes the need for dry enclosures for desert-dwelling reptiles. Furthermore efficient disinfection protocols should be developed in order to eliminate Devriesea agamarum from the enclosure. Furthermore an indirect ELISA that is able to detect antibodies against Devriesea agamarum present in reptile plasma was developed.