MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

Oo-No: Ophidiomyces ophidiicola-bacterial interactions and the role of skin lipids in development of ophidiomycosis

Summary

A fungal disease called ophidiomycosis is spreading among wild snakes around the world. This disease is caused by a fungus that interacts with the natural bacteria living on snake skin and with oils naturally produced by the skin. Certain helpful bacteria on snake skin can fight off the fungus by producing special compounds, but when the fungus takes over, it damages these protective bacteria, leading to worse infection. Understanding these interactions could help develop new ways to protect snakes from this emerging disease.

Background

Ophidiomyces ophidiicola (Oo) is an emerging fungal pathogen causing snake fungal disease (ophidiomycosis), which threatens global snake populations. The fungus interacts with host skin chemistry, microbiome composition, and immune responses. Understanding these complex interactions is critical for disease mitigation and snake conservation efforts.

Objective

This review examines the interactions between Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, snake skin lipids, and the skin microbiome to understand mechanisms underlying ophidiomycosis susceptibility and pathogenesis. The authors synthesize current knowledge on how pathogen-induced dysbiosis and skin lipid profiles influence disease development across multiple experimental scales.

Results

Skin lipids like oleic acid and squalene suppress Oo growth at high concentrations, while cholesterol does not inhibit the pathogen. Oo infection causes predictable microbiome dysbiosis across experimental scales. Certain bacteria (Aeromonas sp., Stenotrophomonas sp., Chryseobacterium sp.) exhibit inhibitory effects on Oo through competitive exclusion or antifungal metabolite production.

Conclusion

Ophidiomycosis results from complex interactions among host skin chemistry, microbiome composition, and pathogen biology. Future research linking landscape-level studies with experimental investigations of host-bacterial-fungal interactions will improve understanding of snake responses to this emerging pathogen and enhance conservation strategies. Expanded surveillance in underrepresented regions and study of environmental persistence of Oo are critical research priorities.
  • Published in:PLoS Pathogens,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMID: 41575970, DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1013875
Scroll to Top