Research finds fungal pathogen in region's snakes

More than two years ago, Jessy Patterson and some of her students combed the Smithgall Woods State Park and other woodland places for snakes.

"We looked for the presence of a fungal pathogen that causes snake fungal disease," the lecturer of biology at the University of North Georgia (UNG) said. "We did that by finding and capturing snakes, swabbing them, and sending the sample out for analysis."

After collecting data for a year followed by an analysis, she submitted the paper authored by herself, biology faculty members Dr. David Patterson and Dr. Michael Bender and several students. In May, the paper published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases.

"It's exciting to finally have our paper published after spending so much time doing fieldwork and writing," Patterson said. She explained the test results revealed the fungus was present in the snakes but not all of them exhibited clinical signs of the disease. "This meant that a snake won't necessarily get the disease, but it is something that we need to be aware of."

She said her results also fill a gap in research conducted on snake fungal disease. Patterson explained other scientists have examined the prevalence of the disease in south Georgia.

"Not a lot of research has been done in north Georgia," she said. "So it is good to know if and where we are finding the fungal pathogen for the sake of conservation and management decisions."