Reptile Emerging Infectious Diseases                                                                                Articles  About  Report
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Infected saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) with West Nile virus. Red arrows are demonstrating pix lesions, similar to icepick-like indentations.

Note. Adapted from Habarugira et al., (2025), Tissue, tropism, pathology, and pathogenesos of West Nile virus infection in saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), licensed under CC BY 4.0.   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
01  West Nile Virus

West Nile Virus (WNV) is the causative agent of the viral disease that predominantly affects humans, birds, and horses. This disease is highly transmissible through mosquito vectors and has several amplifying hosts (i.e., organism that contains high concentrations of a pathogen, which can be transmissable to vectors), including birds and crocodilians. Crocodilians may vary in the manifestation of disease. For example, American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) have higher mortality rates due to neurological and gastrointestinal clinical signs. Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus), which are primarily found in Australia, have not shown neurological signs but have been observed to have skin lesions. There is no specific vaccine used to treat crocodilians affected by WNV, but a couple of vaccines have been suggested. Prevention methods and continued surveillance should be implemented to reduce the spread of the disease.



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Found in:
North America
Israel
Australia
Africa







Necropsy performed on two infected Siamese crocodiles (Crocodylus siamensis). (a) Crocodile with poor nutrition, and the tail muscles are especially small. (b) Conjunctivits present in crocodile with eyes closed but swelling, redness, and fibrinocaseous material is present. (c) Mucosa surrounding pharynx is notably reddened and swollen. Crocodile exhibits hydropericardium. Lungs appear red and edematous, while liver is pale with multiple white foci. 

Note. From Paungpin et al., (2021), Coinfection of Chlamydia spp. and herpesvirus in juvenile farmed Siamese crocodiles (Crocodylus siamensis) in Thailand, licensed under CC BY 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
02 Chlamydiosis

Chlamydiosis in crocodilians is caused by several bacterial Chlamydia species. Recent discoveries include the description of Chlamydia crocodile, which was made in Thailand, and the recent emergence of the disease in North America. Chlamydiosis is transmitted through direct contact with infected crocodilians and other animals. Treatment involves antibiotics. Infected crocodilians can range in severity from being asymptomatic to developing conjunctivitis and hepatitis, resulting in death. Because most infected individuals are from crocodilian farms, prevention strategies should be implemented to control the spread of the disease.


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 Found in:
Australia
Papua Guinea
United States
Africa
Thailand