This is a pilot study to determine whether the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) is susceptible to infection with ophidian paramyxovirus. The pathogenesis of the viral infection in brown tree snakes and prairie kingsnakes (Lampropeltis calligaster) is being studied and compared. Preliminary findings indicate that ophidian paramyxovirus causes interstitial pneumonia and interstitial pancreatitis in the kingsnake. Virus-induced lesions have not yet been detected in the brown tree snake.
