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Volume 31, Number 11—November 2025

Research Letter

Mortality Event in Rainbow Snakes Linked to Snake Fungal Disease, United States

Dane A. ConleyComments to Author , Gaëlle Blanvillain, Jaimie L. Miller, Kate E. Langwig, John D. Kleopfer, Jeffrey M. Lorch1, and Joseph R. Hoyt1
Author affiliation: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA (D.A. Conley, G. Blanvillain, K.E. Langwig, J.R. Hoyt); University of Wisconsin–Madison, School of Veterinary Medicine, Madison, Wisconsin, USA (J.L. Miller); Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, Henrico, Virginia, USA (J.D. Kleopfer); US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA (J.M. Lorch)

Main Article

Figure 2

Variation in Ophidiomyces ophidiicola infection among snake species from a study of a mortality event in rainbow snakes linked to snake fungal disease, United States. Sampling results during spring (January−June) in 2020–2023 in the Back Bay watershed in Virginia and North Carolina. Black circles and error bars indicate mean lesion severity with 95% CIs. A) Each colored point represents an individual snake sampled and whether it was positive (1) or negative (0) for O. ophidiicola. Data points are slightly jittered for visualization purposes. B) Summed lesion severity values accounting for lesion size, lesion progression, and proportion of snake affected (Appendix). Snakes without lesions were omitted.

Figure 2. Variation in Ophidiomyces ophidiicola infection among snake species from a study of a mortality event in rainbow snakes linked to snake fungal disease, United States. Sampling results during spring (January−June) in 2020–2023 in the Back Bay watershed in Virginia and North Carolina. Black circles and error bars indicate mean lesion severity with 95% CIs. A) Each colored point represents an individual snake sampled and whether it was positive (1) or negative (0) for O. ophidiicola. Data points are slightly jittered for visualization purposes. B) Summed lesion severity values accounting for lesion size, lesion progression, and proportion of snake affected (Appendix). Snakes without lesions were omitted.

Main Article

1These authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: October 01, 2025
Page updated: December 04, 2025
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