Papilloma clean up time after lizard passes

kecked

New Member
So I have a panther with papilloma. He’s doing his thing but once he does pass how long do I need to wait before bringing in a new lizard. I understand cleaning cages and tossing plants but what about me and the rest of my house? I am thinking I’d have to wait a period for the virus to be non viable. I am also not sure if I carry it. I know the residence for hpv is about two years. Since I am not replication competent I’d expect this to be much shorter. There are no there animals but I do have plants in the house I’m not tossing out. Figure soap and water with bottle peroxide in the soil.

thoughts?
 
I dealt with reptile papiloma before too and IME it doesn’t transmit very easily. I think most of it comes from wildcaughts, maybe spread to babies? Seems like it’s open wound contact too like during breeding or fighting. Before I realized it was pap my chameleons would all share the same free ranges and the one(who was captive hatched) was the only to ever have it to my knowledge. That’s not to say I wouldn’t be careful and avoid spreading it to another, but a virus killing disinfectant should easily do the trick, even with plants. My vet also figured it wouldn’t sit around long either. Maybe just switch the plants out for a while and clean them/hose them down. Disinfect everything else. Good to be safe and of course I can’t say anything as a fact, but I’d hate to see you toss everything for no reason.
 
I’ve read that bleach is effective against it. Don’t bleach your plants of course. Maybe get a new tree for the new cham’s own free range?
 
I agree with all that my question is around how long it can sit on a surface and can I after a good shower still carry it in me. Might not harm me but papilloma can live in a human just not sure the reptile version can. I figure to give 3-6 months between to be safe but wondered if a virologist might have some idea. Also I wonder why they can’t adapt the hpv vaccine to chameleons. Yes different virus but same family so it should convert. However not sure if a reptiles immune response would be triggered same as a mammal. I know acyclovir has been used I reptiles but that’s not likely to target a papilloma. This is more to gather the info for others so it’s documented if anyone knows For sure. I sure don’t. In fact I have no idea where it came from. I’ve been getting my reptiles from the same breeder for 25 years. Wonder if it can come in on prey or more likely during a vet visit.

are mammals able to be carriers of reptile pap
how long can reptile pap remain viable on surfaces and in soil or on plants

i doubt anyone really knows but I ask.

no disrespect to anyone answering. I just seeking a specific answer.
for sure bleach, peroxide, ethanol will not. It’s a DNA virus in a capsid coat so a bit harder to kill But it still is not enveloped so bit easier. The capsid protects it so think you need to strip the capsid and then denature the dna But I may be confusing this with an envelop. Bleach seems the best to do this since it both oxidizes and is a strong base to denature. Heat and pressure like autoclave too but I’m not autoclaving myself or the house.
 
Last edited:
I can’t answer about humans being a carrier I’ve never heard of it. They can be a vector. Even if you couldn’t pierce the capsid coat you can physically remove it from your skin with soap and water with a thorough cleansing. That is how it is dealt with in veterinary hospitals. If you can’t kill it it is enough to remove it.
 
Thank you. I expect a good shower should do it once I remove it from the environment. It is amazing how little is known. I did find a a few charts of the structure but seems not much work has been done outside turtles and very little has been to sequence them. That’s why I started this thread to see what I can assemble in one place for others. I am shocked how many infections I’ve seen in the last few years. It was never heard of ten years back.
 
I agree with all that my question is around how long it can sit on a surface and can I after a good shower still carry it in me. Might not harm me but papilloma can live in a human just not sure the reptile version can. I figure to give 3-6 months between to be safe but wondered if a virologist might have some idea. Also I wonder why they can’t adapt the hpv vaccine to chameleons. Yes different virus but same family so it should convert. However not sure if a reptiles immune response would be triggered same as a mammal. I know acyclovir has been used I reptiles but that’s not likely to target a papilloma. This is more to gather the info for others so it’s documented if anyone knows For sure. I sure don’t. In fact I have no idea where it came from. I’ve been getting my reptiles from the same breeder for 25 years. Wonder if it can come in on prey or more likely during a vet visit.

are mammals able to be carriers of reptile pap
how long can reptile pap remain viable on surfaces and in soil or on plants

i doubt anyone really knows but I ask.

no disrespect to anyone answering. I just seeking a specific answer.
for sure bleach, peroxide, ethanol will not. It’s a DNA virus in a capsid coat so a bit harder to kill But it still is not enveloped so bit easier. The capsid protects it so think you need to strip the capsid and then denature the dna But I may be confusing this with an envelop. Bleach seems the best to do this since it both oxidizes and is a strong base to denature. Heat and pressure like autoclave too but I’m not autoclaving myself or the house.
I’m literally about to walk away with an A in my college microbiology class tomorrow 😁 that being said I have no clue. I’m still new to biology for the most part outside the basics. I doubt anyone here will have a specific answer for this. My post was a strong opinion summed up from my experiences and what I know+my vet's. Just trying to save you some $.

Well actually now that I think of it, let’s see what @DocZ thinks if he’s still hanging around here?
 
I’m the biosafety officer for a major university so don’t feel bad.
I used to be a mailman, so I think I know a little more about filth 😉

Joking aside, I assumed you were something related to bio regarding your knowledge of capsins, envelopes, proper disinfection, etc. taking my lab and lecture finals tomorrow morning. More interesting subject than I thought it would be, but I’ll be glad it’s over heh.
 
Back
Top Bottom