Abstract
Reptiles are the largest clade of terrestrial vertebrates, yet the
microbiome of reptiles is one of the least studied of any vertebrate
group, despite the known presence of various pathogens impacting
multiple species declines across the globe. One of these pathogens is
the dermatophyte fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, the causal agent of
Snake Fungal Disease (SFD). SFD has been linked to population declines
in multiple snake species, including the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus
horridus) and the Common Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) in North America
and the Grass Snake (Natrix natrix) and the Little Filesnake
(Acrochordus granulatus) in Europe and Asia. However, the full
phylogenetic and geographic extent of snake species impacted by SFD has
not been formally quantified. Here we perform a systematic literature
review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and
Meta-Analyses in Ecology and Evolution (PRISMA-EcoEvo) guidelines and
quantitatively compile snake species being infected by SFD, their
taxonomic distribution, if infected snakes were wild or captive and the
known geographic distribution of SFD cases. We show that while the most
studied cases of SFD are found within wild populations of Viperidae, and
that Colubridae is the family of snakes with the most prevalence of SFD
infections. Additionally, we show a geographic bias in SFD studies, with
85% of the known cases being found in the United States. This study
will inform future research regarding emergent disease, One Health
principles, and host-microbiome interactions and spans fields from
ecology and evolutionary biology to conservation.