Experimental infection of carpet pythons ( Morelia spilota ) with sunshinevirus

Australian pythons are extensively kept in captivity. Since the 1990s, native Australian snakes with neuro-respiratory signs of disease, sometimes fatal, had been presenting to veterinarians in Australia. Research conducted at Murdoch University on some of these snakes resulted in the discovery of a novel virus, now named sunshinevirus (Sunviridae). Widespread follow-up PCR testing of pythons throughout Australia linked sunshinevirus infection to both asymptomatic virus-carriers and pythons showing signs of disease. Experimental infections were conducted to determine whether sunshinevirus infection caused disease in Australian pythons. The experiments demonstrated a causal relationship by fulfilling Koch's postulates, and 5/6 infected animals developed neurological disease. Infected pythons shed virus persistently for months, but control animals remained uninfected. Our findings provide veterinarians with valuable information for the management of sunshinevirus in zoos and private collections.