ENDOCARDITIS AND CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE IN A BURMESE PYTHON (PYTHON MOLURUS BIVITTATUS)

Abstract

A 17-yr-old female Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) was evaluated for pitting edema of the integument cranial to the heart and enlargement of the body wall at the level of the heart. Ultrasound examination revealed a mass in the right atrium. Contrast angiography confirmed the presence of a space-filling defect within the right atrium, with obstruction of venous return. The snake recovered from anesthesia but died the next day. Necropsy revealed a caseous mass filling the sinus venosus and right atrium, fibrin within the pericardial space, and adhesions between the pericardium and epicardium. Salmonella arizona and Corynebacterium sp. were isolated from the thrombus, pericardial space, and spleen. The exact portal of entry for infection could not be determined.