By: TOP500 Team
Boid Inclusion Body Disease is a threat to boas and pythons in homes and zoos around the world. The disease starts with lack of appetite and poor digestion, but the main tell-tale sign is the many protein inclusions that appear in all cell types. The disease is often fatal.
Besides the trouble it brings to conservation projects, the disease is also an economic burden — imposing strict quarantine rules for the transport of 200,000 snakes a year does not come cheap.
So far, scientists know that the disease is somehow related to viruses from the arenavirus family, which are usually carried by mice and may cause hemorrhagic fever or meningitis if transmitted to humans.
Read the full article on Science Node.