engleski

Conservation of Proteus anguinus - role of veterinarians

Proteus anguinus (the olm) is one of the most mysterious amphibians in the world and the only real cave dwelling vertebrate found in Europe. Due to its specific way of life in the underground carst, the olm is extremely vulnerable to all kinds of external pollution and destruction. For the same reason it is the animal that is very difficult to investigate and protect. On the other hand, in some parts of Croatia, heavy rains or waters from melted snow wash out the olms from their underground habitat to the surface of the ground. Due to the water evaporation the animals are not able to survive on the surface and dye, sometimes in excessive numbers. Having in mind their endangered status, the Croatian Herpetological Society, Zagreb Zoo and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb started the project of the conservation of these animals. The role of veterinarians in this project is to find out whether it is possible to bring P. anguinus back to caves without harming the existing population, and also to increase the knowledge about the animal’s normal microflora since this data is missing. Depending on the findings, one of the aims would also be to establish the treatment of the animals based on the microorganisms found and on sensitivity tests. Therefore, the standard bacteriology tests for the detection of bacteria and fungi on the skin, cloaca and the pharynx, qPCR tests for the detection of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Ranavirus and Chlamydophila sp., together with parasitological tests are underway. These tests will provide information about the normal microflora of the skin and gastrointestinal system, and will allow the discrimination between normal and opportunistic microorganisms. The analyses of the above pathogens will also provide the information whether is it safe to return the animals back to the caves, if it will be necessary. This will contribute to the whole project of olm conservation, to save this population and to preserve its health.

Olm; conservation; veterinarians

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