A parvovirus isolated from royal python (Python regius) is a member of the genus Dependovirus.

The zoonotic implications of pentastomiasis in the royal python (python regius).

Pentastomes are worm-like endoparasites of the phylum Pentastomida found principally in the respiratory tract of reptiles, birds, and mammals. They cause a zoonotic disease known as pentastomiasis in humans and other mammals. The autopsy of a Nigerian royal python (Python regius) revealed two yellowish-white parasites in the lungs, tissue necrosis and inflammatory lesions. The parasite was conf...

Identification and characterization of two closely related unclassifiable endogenous retroviruses in pythons (Python molurus and Python curtus).

Boid inclusion body disease (BIBD) is a fatal disorder of boid snakes that is suspected to be caused by a retrovirus. In order to identify this agent, leukocyte cultures (established from Python molurus specimens with symptoms of BIBD or kept together with such diseased animals) were assessed for reverse transcriptase (RT) activity. Virus from cultures exhibiting high RT activity was banded on ...

Evidence that neurotensin mediates postprandial intestinal hyperemia in the python, Python regius.

Digestion of large meals in pythons produces substantial increases in heart rate and cardiac output, as well as a dilation of the mesenteric vascular bed leading to intestinal hyperemia, but the mediators of these effects are unknown. Bolus intra-arterial injections of python neurotensin ([His(3), Val(4), Ala(7)]NT) (1 - 1,000 pmol/kg) into the anesthetized ball python Python regius (n = 7) pro...

Why do female ball pythons (Python regius) coil so tightly around their eggs?

Question: What benefits does brooding confer to offspring viability that outweigh its costs to the nest-attending female? Organisms: Thirty captive Python regius females and their clutches. Site: Vicinity of Lomé, Togo. Background: It has previously been shown that brooding enhances ball python hatching success by reducing desiccation of eggs. Methods: We captured wild, gravid females just befo...

The effect of digestion and surgery on blood glucose and effects of fasting and digesting on glucose tolerance in Python regius