starryskiezz
Member
Hello friends. As a couple of you (@Andee and @kinyonga) know, recently four of my chameleons all passed away from a disease called Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii (CANV), also known as "yellow fungus". I am making this thread to share my story so that others are aware of this extremely invasive, severe fungal infection, what to look for, and how to attempt to treat it- because it's very hard to diagnose and treat, and is nearly always fatal. It is rare in chameleons, and often people do not have it cultured so when it is present clinically, vets cannot say for certain that it is yellow fungus. My four chameleons passed away in a span of two weeks. Once you notice the symptoms, it is almost always too late. I am going to divide this thread into sort of "chapters"/sections, so that information is easier to find.
I am currently having the fungus cultured and requesting to have the subspecies identified/confirmed by PCR. The vet has diagnosed this fungus as yellow fungus/CANV upon looking at it under a microscope, but the exact identity is still unknown. I will keep everyone updated. Regardless of whether or not this is Chrysosporium (which I am quite certain it is), it still was very contagious and invasive.
Additionally, I am not a vet. I am merely an immunology and infectious disease undergraduate with an interest of getting into medical school one day. I also work in a medical lab at the University of Alberta. Thus, I do have a background in a medical science, though I really know very little still about herp diseases and have a lot to learn about chameleon keeping. This thread is mostly based on my experience and observations I have made, as well as what I have read in scientific literature.
Sections:
1) General introduction into Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii
2) Symptoms
3) Personal experience with CANV
I am currently having the fungus cultured and requesting to have the subspecies identified/confirmed by PCR. The vet has diagnosed this fungus as yellow fungus/CANV upon looking at it under a microscope, but the exact identity is still unknown. I will keep everyone updated. Regardless of whether or not this is Chrysosporium (which I am quite certain it is), it still was very contagious and invasive.
Additionally, I am not a vet. I am merely an immunology and infectious disease undergraduate with an interest of getting into medical school one day. I also work in a medical lab at the University of Alberta. Thus, I do have a background in a medical science, though I really know very little still about herp diseases and have a lot to learn about chameleon keeping. This thread is mostly based on my experience and observations I have made, as well as what I have read in scientific literature.
Sections:
1) General introduction into Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii
2) Symptoms
3) Personal experience with CANV