In the Last Decade a Mystery Disease Has Hit American Snakes

In the Last Decade a Mystery Disease Has Hit American Snakes

A strange infection has emerged in America and is striking down the country's snakes. Nobody knows why it is happening!

In 2006 biologists studying the only timber rattlesnakes in the state of New Hampshire recorded something alarming: a population crash. The already rare animals – numbering about 40 in total – began dying in unusually large numbers. No more than 20 rattlesnakes survived, and the population remained at that new super-low level five years later.

Many of the snakes showed signs of a severe skin infection on their heads and bodies just before they died. It was an early sign of a deadly fungal disease that is now sweeping through the snakes of eastern North America.

Today at least 30 species are affected. "Snake fungal disease" has been documented in more than 16 US states and in parts of Canada.

I've been tracking mysterious fungal diseases for years, and after all of that time, we still don't know why this is happening.

Bees, bats, people, etc... It's a bigger problem than most people realize.

See also:

Mystery Disease Forcing Bats to Extinction: White Nose Syndrome (WNS)

ARE WE NEXT? Fungal Infections Have Caused More Than 80% of Known Disease-Driven Animal Extinctions

Clearly something is still going on and nothing has really improved.

I would suggest the overuse of antibiotics soaps polluting the water supplies of the world could be a cause, we are creating superbugs as a result.

Bacteria help to keep fungus from overpopulating, we could be wiping out large amounts of good bacteria in nature which is causing fungi to become dominant.

I have been studying fungal infections on humans for years as I have been plagued with fungal infections most of my adult life. It's the overuse of antibiotics that is the cause in humans, I would suggest the same is happening in nature as well.

That's pretty bad. Fungal diseases can sometimes be impossible to cure. Many don't like snakes but they serve a useful purpose in our ecosystem. Like the bats and the bees, it seems we are helpless to fix the problem.

Bats consume primarily insects so do many rodents (before they become snake food). If the predators are getting sick look to pesticides.

Fungus has just recently been found to play a key factor in Crohn's Disease. I forwarded this to a buddy of mine after I found out and he took the appropriate measures. He received his "green card" a few weeks ago and has stuck with other alternative anti-fungal treatments. His transformation has been inspirational and nothing short of amazing.

The groundbreaking findings, published on September 20th in mBio, could lead to potential new treatments and ultimately, cures for the debilitating inflammatory bowel disease, which causes severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and fatigue.

"We already know that bacteria, in addition to genetic and dietary factors, play a major role in causing Crohn's disease," said the study's senior and corresponding author, Mahmoud A Ghannoum, PhD, professor and director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center "Essentially, patients with Crohn's have abnormal immune responses to these bacteria, which inhabit the intestines of all people.

While most researchers focus their investigations on these bacteria, few have examined the role of fungi, which are also present in everyone's intestines. Our study adds significant new information to understanding why some people develop Crohn's disease. Equally important, it can result in a new generation of treatments, including medications and probiotics, which hold the potential for making qualitative and quantitative differences in the lives of people suffering from Crohn's."

www.sciencedaily.com...

a reply to: intrptr

How do pesticides cause more fungal infections? I don't understand the connection.

a reply to: loam

This is probably not gonna make any sense. But it sounds like a form of or has some characteristics like that of the flesh eating virus. To quote from your source:

The snake's immune system kicks into action, but within a few days the skin at the infection site has begun to thicken and die, creating a yellow or brown crust. In some cases this crust breaks off, exposing raw flesh and allowing the fungus to spread.

Necrotising fasciitis (NF), commonly known as flesh-eating disease, is an infection that results in the death of the body's soft tissue Wiki

Gross I know.. but when I read that in your post it reminded me of the flesh eating virus. Anyhow, I have a huge fear of snakes, but even with that I hate to see any creature/species die off. Most of them are very much needed to keep the environment balanced. Hope they can figure out what is causing this and save them before it's too late..

Thanks for posting this,
blend57

a reply to: eisegesis

Most mental health issues are a result of fungus in the gut, I know because I cured my 20 years of anxiety, panic attacks & depression by ridding myself of Candida Albicans.
I literally had colonies of them coming out of me in my stool & my gut while going through this expulsion sounded like a horror movie. Doctors didn't have a clue and would have had me on all sorts of medication but I did the research and eventually found my cure in a herbal parasite formula.
It's changed my whole life.

That's sad. I like snakes.

I had a baby cobra at my feet outside my house but didn't have my phone/cam with me! (no pics but it did happen!) lol.

First thing I thought of, from the title, was the Tasmanian Devils cancer epidemic.

I don't know what I would tend to believe more, man made global warming or man made animal epidemics and I do not believe in AGW.

I hope whatever it is, runs it course and doesn't take out whole species.

originally posted by: mclarenmp4
a reply to: eisegesis

Most mental health issues are a result of fungus in the gut, I know because I cured my 20 years of anxiety, panic attacks & depression by ridding myself of Candida Albicans.
I literally had colonies of them coming out of me in my stool & my gut while going through this expulsion sounded like a horror movie. Doctors didn't have a clue and would have had me on all sorts of medication but I did the research and eventually found my cure in a herbal parasite formula.
It's changed my whole life.

Can you send me a U2U with a link or let me know what the remedy was? Thanks in advance.

originally posted by: burgerbuddy
That's sad. I like snakes.

I had a baby cobra at my feet outside my house but didn't have my phone/cam with me! (no pics but it did happen!) lol.

Where do you live if you don't mind me asking? If there was a baby, there must be quite a population of cobras. I live in Florida and we have water moccasins, rattle snakes (Eastern Diamondback being one), and coral snakes along with copperheads. You definitely have to look where you walk around here.

Sarcasm ahead. Snakes are the devil! lol.

a reply to: loam

Can we harvest it's destructive power to get back at the evil Reptilian shapeshifters ruining our country?

Sorry, that was a joke..

I hope the bright minds in biological science can find a root cause and potential solutions to fight back against these fungal threats

a reply to: mclarenmp4

Can you share your remedy?

a reply to: spirit_horse

I too would like to know. Perhaps this could be their next thread.

Good article link, very informative.

I have had numerous healthy snakes around here this year, garters and hog-nosed.

I worry about the massasauga, every story I've heard people tell about finding one, ends with it being killed. Ignorance beyond belief.

ETA: From a link in the article . . .

To date, the disease has been confirmed in at least 14 snake species including the northern water snake; racer; rat snake; timber rattlesnake; massasauga; pygmy rattlesnake; milk snake; plains garter snake; mud snake and southern water snake. It is believed to be more widespread than is currently documented as snakes showing signs of infection have been reported in other states and in other species.

Snake Fungal Disease Found in Louisiana

originally posted by: spirit_horse
a reply to: intrptr

How do pesticides cause more fungal infections? I don't understand the connection.

They say its a fungus a), and b) any toxin can weaken immune systems if enough gets ingested, making critters unable to fight of ordinary ailments, diseases, and yes, 'fungeseses'.

I don't believe them when they tell us its this or that but leave it undefined, anyway. Like the huge die offs of bees, birds, sea life like seals, starfish urchins, goo on oceans, yaddayadda, they know exactly what this is and how it affects the animals. That they don't tell us what exactly, lends me to believe that they are covering up for the responsible corporation(s) that produce and use whatever poison (pesticide, fungicide herbacide, fertilizer).

Mega tons of Petro chemicals are dumped on our food, the soil it grows in and the runoff to waterways and oceans.

Telling us its 'just a fungus' is like saying someone died of lung cancer. Oh, by the way they were a smoker, welder, coalminer and their lungs were black with toxins. If all these snakes are getting it, and they couldn't possibly have intermingled to spread it then it is already everywhere in the environment, like sprays for agriculture are too.

originally posted by: intrptr

originally posted by: spirit_horse
a reply to: intrptr

How do pesticides cause more fungal infections? I don't understand the connection.

They say its a fungus a), and b) any toxin can weaken immune systems if enough gets ingested, making critters unable to fight of ordinary ailments, diseases, and yes, 'fungeseses'.

I don't believe them when they tell us its this or that but leave it undefined, anyway. Like the huge die offs of bees, birds, sea life like seals, starfish urchins, goo on oceans, yaddayadda, they know exactly what this is and how it affects the animals. That they don't tell us what exactly, lends me to believe that they are covering up for the responsible corporation(s) that produce and use whatever poison (pesticide, fungicide herbacide, fertilizer).

Mega tons of Petro chemicals are dumped on our food, the soil it grows in and the runoff to waterways and oceans.

Telling us its 'just a fungus' is like saying someone died of lung cancer. Oh, by the way they were a smoker, welder, coalminer and their lungs were black with toxins. If all these snakes are getting it, and they couldn't possibly have intermingled to spread it then it is already everywhere in the environment, like sprays for agriculture are too.

Thanks for the enlightenment! That is scary. I didn't even consider these snakes couldn't intermingle. I am glad I am getting toward the end of life because the evidence that there is a great die off going on especially with critical species in our ecosystem does not bode well for the future of humanity.

originally posted by: spirit_horse
a reply to: intrptr

How do pesticides cause more fungal infections? I don't understand the connection.

Pesticides reduce the immune system capacity to fight off disease, bacteria, virus, and yes fungus.

That why you mold when you die and not before.

To everyone asking about my experience and how I cured myself & my mother, currently working on my sister with Bipolar disorder.

It's the most liberating thing I have ever experienced. I've suffered from it all my life but the worst has been in the last 20 years.
I was desperate, lost my job several times, was homeless and had reached my lowest point. My circumstances meant that I was going to have £20 to last me for food for 2 weeks, so I started looking at water fasting for the 2 weeks & that way I wouldn't need to spend money on food.
I started my water fast and on the 3rd day when my body enter Ketosis, the veil of anxiety lifted and where I had a recurring fungal infection called angular stomatis, there was a white powder like substance.
So at this point I knew my anxiety was something physiological and not a mental disorder as I had believed.
I then found out that what I had experienced was a die off of candida, the angular stomatis never returned after that date.
So I knew my issues were being caused by candida.
Anyway the anxiety returned not long after refeeding but I had a target, how to rid myself of candida. So I tried everything, vitamins, minerals, diets, cleanses, you name it I tried it.
I then came up on the incredible and beautiful soul Dr Robert Morse. He has a youtube channel where he gets letters from the public and he starts recommending herbs and tinctures for to people use.
Anyway in one of his many videos he talked about candida and he had developed a very strong formula for removing worms, parasites, anything that shouldn't be there.
I took 1 course of his Parasite M formula and I have been candida & anxiety free since September 2016.
I created a thread about how I managed to get my 74 year old mother off all her medications and she just started on the same parasite m formula, she was exactly the same as me, high anxiety, weak adrenals, I just talked to her on the phone and she said she feels no anxiety anymore. You should hear her, she sounds like an excited child again, god bless her.

I'm going to make a thread about all that I've learned regarding health and why the gut is the most vital organ in the body.
Sorry for being a bit off topic but the response from members in this thread and u2u, I thought I'd better get the info out there.