Pigment changes
Introduction
- Cause: normal age-related change in certain species, response to environmental stimuli, dysecdysis, trauma related changes, scarring, thermal burns, bacterial/fungal dermatitis, gray patch disease in turtles.
- Signs: pigment changes may go unnoticed for a while – these may take place as a normal age-related change in certain species such as green tree pythons or be a result of illness/trauma/disease. They may start off anywhere on the body and become progressive, eg thermal burns in reptiles will progress within a few days of the initial injury.
- Diagnosis: based on clinical signs and history. Cytology, culture and sensitivity, biopsy may be needed if a disease process is suspected.
- Treatment: dependent on underlying cause. Most pigment changes are of cosmetic consequence only.
- Prognosis: good to guarded depending on underlying cause.
Presenting signs
- Dependent on underlying cause, pigment changes may either take place slowly and go unnoticed or occur rapidly in response to trauma.
- If a disease process such as fungal disease is responsible for pigment changes, this may be accompanied by non-specific signs such as lethargy and anorexia.
Acute presentation
- If pigment changes take place in response to trauma, bleeding, sloughing of skin and discharge.
- Chronic pigment changes may be associated with dysecdysis.
Geographic incidence
- Worldwide.
Breed/Species predisposition
- Some pigment changes are normal in certain species such as green tree pythons (Morelia viridis) Green tree python:
- Juveniles present in two color morphs: bright yellow and brick red and progress to vibrant green as they age.
- This reflects the adaptive changes in response to a change in diet and habitat in their natural environment.
Public health considerations
- Many species of reptiles are natural carriers of Salmonella which is of zoonotic potential to humans.
Cost considerations
- Initial consultation.
- Sedation/general anesthesia may be needed for swabbing of aggressive or venomous species/collection of cytology samples/biopsy.
- Ongoing treatment if a disease process is responsible for the pigment changes.
Pathogenesis
Etiology
- Pigment changes take place in certain species as a response to diet and habitual changes; this is because of altered pigment cell number or the amount of pigment within cells.
- Skin color changes are a long-recognized phenomenon in chameleons (Family: Chamaeleonidae):
- It occurs as a response to external stimuli such as temperature or stress and is thought to help with communication within individuals.
- In response to these stimuli, the pigment-containing cells chromatophores will relax or contract shifting the distribution of contained pigment and altering the external appearance of the animal.
Predisposing factors
General
- Damage to the integument may occur as a result of poor husbandry such as a dirty environment, inappropriate bedding, uncontrolled temperatures Chelonia husbandry Lizard husbandry Snake husbandry.
Specific
- Environmental temperatures should be strictly controlled for poikiliotherms and checked daily .
- Thermal injuries Burn injuries are frequently seen in snakes that wrap themselves around unprotected heat sources.
Timecourse
- Thermal burns Burn injuries may not be evident for several days post-injury.
Diagnosis
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Treatment
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Prevention
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Outcomes
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Further Reading
Publications
Refereed Papers
- Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.
- Wilson D, Heinsohn R & Endler J (2007) The adaptive significance of ontogenetic colour change in a tropical python. Biol Lett 3 (1), 40-43 PubMed.
Other sources of information
- Scheelings T (2019) Anatomy and Physiology. In: BSAVA Manual of Reptiles. BSAVA, UK. pp 1-26.