Identification, Characterization, and In Vitro Culture of Highly Divergent Arenaviruses from Boa Constrictors and Annulated Tree Boas: Candidate Etiological Agents for Snake Inclusion Body Disease

Stenglein, Mark D.; Sanders, Chris; Kistler, Amy L.; Ruby, J. Graham; Franco, Jessica Y.; Reavill, Drury R.; Dunker, Freeland; DeRisi, Joseph L.

The Steinhart Aquarium at the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) houses a wide range of snake species, including annulated tree boas (Corallus annulatus) and boa constrictors (Boa constrictor). In 2009, several snakes at the aquarium were diagnosed with IBD by histopathology of liver biopsy specimens and/or blood smears (Table 1) . Snakes diagnosed as IBD positive as well as one snake (CAS04) that screened negative via blood smear but that had been housed with positive snakes were euthanized and necropsied. Tissue samples were collected and examined by histopathology, revealing inclusions in multiple tissues in positive animals, confirming the antemortem IBD diagnoses ( Fig. 1 ; Table 1 ).