Introduction

• Quarantine is the isolation of animals and persons to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
• All reptiles brought into a home or facility should undergo a quarantine period.
• This is especially necessary in environments where numerous reptiles are housed.
• There are an increasing number of viral diseases being discovered in reptiles as well as other known pathogens that can have long incubation periods and may be difficult to detect ante-mortem. For this reason, it is important to quarantine any new reptile before adding it to a collection.
• Some reptile diseases can wipe out whole collections if proper quarantine procedures are not followed, eg inclusion body disease Inclusion body disease, ferlavirus Ferlavirus infection, sunshinevirus Sunshinevirus infection.

Quarantine

Disinfection

Snakes

Lizards

Chelonia

Summary

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.

Other sources of information

• British Veterinary Zoological Society (BVZS) Guidelines for Salmonella in Pet Reptiles. Website: www.bvzs.org.
• Hyndman T & Marschang R E (2018) Infectious Diseases and Immunology. In: Reptile Medicine and Surgery in Clinical Practice. Eds: Doneley R, Monks D, Johnson R & Carmel B. Wiley-Blackwell, UK. pp 197-216.
• Wilson B (2017) Lizards. In: Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician. 3rd edn. Eds: Ballard B & Cheek R. Wiley-Blackwell. pp 95-136.
• Cheek R & Crane M (2017) Snakes. In: Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician. 3rd edn. Eds: Ballard B & Cheek R. Wiley-Blackwell. pp 137-181.
• Martinez-Jimenez D (2017) Herpetoculture and Reproduction. In: Exotic Animal Medicine for the Veterinary Technician. 3rd edn. Eds: Ballard B & Cheek R. Wiley-Blackwell. pp 197-211.
• Marschang R E (2014) Clinical Virology. In: Current Therapy in Reptile Medicine and Surgery. Eds: Mader D & Divers S. Elsevier Saunders, USA. pp 32-52.
• Girling S J (2013) Reptile and Amphibian Housing, Husbandry and Rearing. In: Veterinary Nursing of Exotic Pets. 2nd edn. Wiley-Blackwell. pp 266-271.
• Jacobson E R (2007) Viruses and Viral Diseases of Reptiles. In: Infectious Diseases and Pathology of Reptiles. Ed: Jacobson E R. CRC Press, USA. pp 395-460.