UI  - 22521069
PMID- 12634818
DA  - 20030313
IS  - 0018-067X
VI  - 90
IP  - 2
DP  - 2003 Feb
TI  - Molecular genetic evidence for parthenogenesis in the Burmese python,
      Python molurus bivittatus.
PG  - 130-5
AB  - Parthenogenesis among reptiles is rare. Only a few species have the
      ability to reproduce asexually. Most of these are obligate parthenogenetic
      species that consist (almost) entirely of females, which can reproduce
      solely through parthenogenesis. Rarer are sexual species that only
      sporadically reproduce through parthenogenesis. A female Python molurus
      bivittatus (Reptilia, Boidae) from the Artis Zoo, Amsterdam, produced eggs
      in five consecutive years that contained embryos while she was isolated
      from males. These eggs might be fertilized with stored sperm, or might be
      the product of parthenogenesis. Parthenogenesis has not been shown for the
      Boidae family before. We performed parentship analyses on the snake and
      seven of her embryos using microsatellites and AFLP. Four microsatellite
      loci developed for this species combined with three loci developed
      previously for different snake species revealed too little variation to
      discriminate between sperm retention and parthenogenesis. With AFLP we
      were able to confirm that the Artis Zoo female reproduced
      parthenogenetically. Because the offspring are genetically identical to
      their mother, whereas in previous studies on sporadic parthenogenesis in
      snakes a loss of genetic information was reported, we conclude that the
      meiotic pathways that produce the diploid egg cells are different.Heredity
      (2003) 90, 130-135. doi:10.1038/sj.hdy.6800210
FAU - Groot, T V M
AU  - Groot TV
FAU - Bruins, E
AU  - Bruins E
FAU - Breeuwer, J A J
AU  - Breeuwer JA
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
CY  - England
TA  - Heredity
JID - 0373007
SB  - IM
EDAT- 2003/03/14 04:00
MHDA- 2003/03/14 04:00
AID - 10.1038/sj.hdy.6800210 [doi]
AID - 6800210 [pii]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Heredity 2003 Feb;90(2):130-5.




UI  - 22503138
PMID- 12616573
DA  - 20030304
IS  - 0362-2525
VI  - 256
IP  - 1
DP  - 2003 Apr
TI  - Epidermal differentiation during ontogeny and after hatching in the snake
      Liasis fuscus (Pythonidae, Serpentes, Reptilia), with emphasis on the
      formation of the shedding complex.
PG  - 29-41
AB  - Differentiation and localization of keratin in the epidermis during
      embryonic development and up to 3 months posthatching in the Australian
      water python, Liasis fuscus, was studied by ultrastructural and
      immunocytochemical methods. Scales arise from dome-like folds in the skin
      that produce tightly imbricating scales. The dermis of these scales is
      completely differentiated before any epidermal differentiation begins,
      with a loose dermis made of mesenchymal cells beneath the differentiating
      outer scale surface. At this stage (33) the embryo is still unpigmented
      and two layers of suprabasal cells contain abundant glycogen. At Stage 34
      (beginning of pigmentation) the first layers of cells beneath the
      bilayered periderm (presumptive clear and oberhautchen layers) have not
      yet formed a shedding complex, within which prehatching shedding takes
      place. At Stage 35 the shedding complex, consisting of the clear and
      oberhautchen layers, is discernible. The clear layer contains a fine
      fibrous network that faces the underlying oberhautchen, where the spinulae
      initially contain a core of fibrous material and small beta-keratin
      packets. Differentiation continues at Stage 36 when the beta-layer forms
      and beta-keratin packets are deposited both on the fibrous core of the
      oberhautchen and within beta-cells. Mesos cells are produced from the
      germinal layer but remain undifferentiated. At Stage 37, before hatching,
      the beta-layer is compact, the mesos layer contains mesos granules, and
      cells of the alpha-layer are present but are not yet keratinized. They are
      still only partially differentiated a few hours after hatching, when a new
      shedding complex is forming underneath. Using antibodies against chick
      scale beta-keratin resolved at high magnification with immunofluorescent
      or immunogold conjugates, we offer the first molecular confirmation that
      in snakes only the oberhautchen component of the shedding complex and the
      underlying beta cells contain beta-keratin. Initially, there is little
      immunoreactivity in the small beta-packets of the oberhautchen, but it
      increases after fusion with the underlying cells to produce the syncytial
      beta layer. The beta-keratin packets coalesce with the tonofilaments,
      including those attached to desmosomes, which rapidly disappear in both
      oberhautchen and beta-cells as differentiation progresses. The labeling is
      low to absent in forming mesos-cells beneath the beta-layer. This study
      further supports the hypothesis that the shedding complex in lepidosaurian
      reptiles evolved after there was a segregation between alpha-keratogenic
      cells from beta-keratogenic cells during epidermal renewal. J. Morphol.
      256:29-41, 2003. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
AD  - Dipartimento di Biologia evoluzionistica sperimentale, University of
      Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
FAU - Alibardi, L
AU  - Alibardi L
FAU - Thompson, M B
AU  - Thompson MB
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
CY  - United States
TA  - J Morphol
JID - 0406125
SB  - IM
EDAT- 2003/03/05 04:00
MHDA- 2003/03/05 04:00
AID - 10.1002/jmor.10071 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Morphol 2003 Apr;256(1):29-41.




UI  - 22490197
PMID- 12602593
DA  - 20030226
IS  - 0002-9645
VI  - 64
IP  - 2
DP  - 2003 Feb
TI  - Pharmacokinetics and tissue concentrations of azithromycin in ball pythons
      (Python regius).
PG  - 225-8
AB  - OBJECTIVE: To determine pharmacokinetics and tissue concentrations of
      azithromycin in ball pythons (Python regius) after IV or oral
      administration of a single dose. ANIMALS: 2 male and 5 female ball
      pythons. PROCEDURES: Using a crossover design, each snake was given a
      single dose of azithromycin (10 mg/kg) IV. After a 4-week washout period,
      each snake was given a single dose of azithromycin (10 mg/kg) orally.
      Blood samples were collected prior to dose administration and 1, 3, 6, 12,
      24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after azithromycin administration. Azithromycin
      was quantitated by use of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
      RESULTS: After IV administration, azithromycin had an apparent volume of
      distribution of 5.69 L/kg and a plasma clearance of 0.19 L/h/kg. Harmonic
      means for the terminal half-life were 17 hours following IV administration
      and 51 hours following oral administration. Mean residence times were 37
      and 94 hours following IV and oral administration, respectively. Following
      oral administration, azithromycin had a peak plasma concentration (Cmax)
      of 1.04 microg/mL, a time to Cmax of 8.4 hours, and a prolonged mean
      absorption time of 57 hours. Mean oral bioavailability was 77%. Tissue
      concentrations ranged from 4 to 140 times the corresponding plasma
      concentration at 24 and 72 hours after azithromycin administration.
      CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Azithromycin is well absorbed and
      tolerated by ball pythons. On the basis of plasma pharmacokinetics and
      tissue concentration data, we suggest an azithromycin dosage in ball
      pythons of 10 mg/kg, orally, every 2 to 7 days, depending upon the site of
      infection and susceptibil ity of the infective organism.
AD  - Zoological Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences,
      College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
      66506, USA.
FAU - Coke, Rob L
AU  - Coke RL
FAU - Hunter, Robert P
AU  - Hunter RP
FAU - Isaza, Ramiro
AU  - Isaza R
FAU - Koch, David E
AU  - Koch DE
FAU - Goatley, Marie A
AU  - Goatley MA
FAU - Carpenter, James W
AU  - Carpenter JW
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
CY  - United States
TA  - Am J Vet Res
JID - 0375011
SB  - IM
EDAT- 2003/02/27 04:00
MHDA- 2003/02/27 04:00
PST - ppublish
SO  - Am J Vet Res 2003 Feb;64(2):225-8.




UI  - 22293057
PMID- 12404856
DA  - 20021030
DCOM- 20021213
VI  - 95
IP  - 3
DP  - 2002 Aug
TI  - [The snakes of Senegal: an annotated species list]
PG  - 148-50
AB  - Between 1990 and 2001, the laboratory of Paludologie of IRD at Dakar
      collected over 5,500 snakes from all over Senegal. By studying this
      collection, an entirely new species was discovered for science and eight
      new species for Senegal. The presence of many specimens of rare species
      and the great number of localities from which snakes were collected also
      allowed us to solve several delicate taxonomic problems and better to
      specify the biogeography of Senegalese snakes. Currently, the presence in
      Senegal of at least 55 different species has been established with
      certainty. The data collected simultaneously on the burden of snakebites
      for public health shows considerable differences according to geographic
      area, with populations from south-eastern Senegal being more exposed to
      the risk of death by snakebite.
AD  - Laboratoire de paludologie, Institut de recherche pour le developpement
      (IRD), B. P. 1386, Dakar, Senegal. trape@ird.sn
FAU - Trape, J F
AU  - Trape JF
FAU - Mane, Y
AU  - Mane Y
LA  - fre
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Review
PT  - Review, Tutorial
TT  - Les serpents du Senegal: liste commentee des especes.
CY  - France
TA  - Bull Soc Pathol Exot
JID - 9212564
SB  - IM
MH  - Animal
MH  - Boidae/*classification
MH  - Colubridae/*classification
MH  - Data Collection
MH  - Elapidae/*classification
MH  - English Abstract
MH  - Human
MH  - Population Surveillance
MH  - Residence Characteristics
MH  - Risk Factors
MH  - Senegal/epidemiology
MH  - Snake Bites/epidemiology/etiology
MH  - Snakes/*classification
MH  - Species Specificity
MH  - Viperidae/*classification
RF  - 36
EDAT- 2002/10/31 04:00
MHDA- 2002/12/17 04:00
PST - ppublish
SO  - Bull Soc Pathol Exot 2002 Aug;95(3):148-50.




