Post mortem identification of Kalicephalus colubri colubri (Nematoda: Diaphanocephalidae) in a captive mole snake (Pseudaspis cana) in South Africa

Abstract

Necropsy examination of a captive emaciated, dehydrated adult female Mole snake (Pseudaspis cana) in October 2007 revealed multiple cutaneous abscesses. Other findings included renal and hepatic atrophy, hepatic haemosiderosis, multifocal granulomatous hepatitis associated with acid-fast bacteria as well as pulmonary congestion and oedema. Large numbers of the nematode Kalicephalus colubri colubri were recovered from the oesophagus and stomach, representing the 1st reported case of K. colubri from a Mole snake in South Africa. The lesions caused by K. c. colubri were insignificant, but the presence of worms may have contributed to weight loss.