Parasite - Cryptosporidium Saurophilum

Blue_Chams

New Member
I am fairly certain I have identified these parasites as Cryptosporidium Saurophilum found in the stool of one of my panther chameleon females. I decided to post because I had a difficult time finding examples on the internet and within this forum. The image below is at 100x with fecal smear. The load is quite high. The chameleon this came from was suffering from a slight weight loss despite being a pretty aggressive eater. I am still testing some of my other chameleons, but I believe this was caused by a bad batch of feeder insects since I am seeing it in others as well.
I initially plan on sanitizing with 12% hydrogen peroxide and feeding strictly from cups. I have started using Nature Zone Worm Guard and have overserved some positive response in feeding and behavior.
Let me know what you think.

20211011 Patricia Lab 100x - 1.jpg
 
First let me say...I'm not a vet and I have little experience with identifying parasites...

This is what I found so far...
https://www.researchgate.net/public...m_varanii_takes_precedence_over_C_saurophilum

Also...don't know how effective Nature Zone Worm Guard is to get rid of crypto.
Varanii, interesting. Thanks for pointing that out. I probably got a little ambitious selecting a specific cryptosporidium.
Yeah, I didn’t expect worm guard to be a fix for the problem but I have had positive results lately using it. Specifically, some of my chams that usually are hesitant to take Dubais have been eating them readily when they are dusted with worm guard. I think they like it. Also, one of my chams that appeared to be a little bloated is now lean/long again. Time will tell.
 
I'm glad this animal was taken to a vet; the potential risk should be obvious. (y)

This is the first I've heard of this product. I guess it's been around since at least '09, but not much in the archives. Apart from this thread, what's there is from that period—nothing in the interim.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/search/1464428/?q=Nature+Zone+Worm+Guard&o=relevance

Interesting set of reviews...
This is a con
[1/5 stars] 11 months ago
This product does not work. Don't waste your time, effort, or money on this product.
megmegaknig · Reviewed on ebay.com

Worth every penny
[4/5 stars] a year ago
Worked great made them very healthy in just a week highly recommended it
joma-5057 · Reviewed on ebay.com

Did the vet have any input/opinion on this product? :unsure:



I also found these:
Cryptosporidiosis - CFSPH (Section on reptiles, amphibians, & fish)

Cryptosporidium varanii (Wikipedia)

Detection of Cryptosporidium species in fecesor gastric contents from snakes and lizards asdetermined by polymerase chain reactionanalysis and partial sequencing of the 18Sribosomal RNA gene

Several of the articles are in regard to geckos—nothing on chameleons yet.

Here's the search results from G. Scholar—didn't have time to go through them.
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,33&q=Cryptosporidium+varanii&btnG=
 
Last edited:
I'm glad this animal was taken to a vet; the potential risk should be obvious. (y)

This is the first I've heard of this product. I guess it's been around since at least '09, but not much in the archives. Apart from this thread, what's there is from that period—nothing in the interim.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/search/1464428/?q=Nature+Zone+Worm+Guard&o=relevance

Interesting set of reviews...


Did the vet have any input/opinion on this product? :unsure:



I also found these:
Cryptosporidiosis - CFSPH (Section on reptiles, amphibians, & fish)

Cryptosporidium varanii (Wikipedia)

Detection of Cryptosporidium species in fecesor gastric contents from snakes and lizards asdetermined by polymerase chain reactionanalysis and partial sequencing of the 18Sribosomal RNA gene

Several of the articles are in regard to geckos—nothing on chameleons yet.

Here's the search results from G. Scholar—didn't have time to go through them.
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,33&q=Cryptosporidium+varanii&btnG=
The vet didn't comment positive or negative when I mentioned Worm Guard. I do not believe it has any worm prevention or treatment effect as the name would suggest, but my chameleons have had a positive feeding response to it so I dust occasionally. I believe they like the smell or taste.
 
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