Corn Snake nutrition: peer-reviewed evidence (Europe PMC)
Source: Open-Access peer-reviewed abstracts retrieved verbatim from Europe PMC (www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc) via REST search on 2026-08-01, filtered to corn snake nutrition/toxicology literature. Each block below is a verbatim abstract; nothing is paraphrased.
Passage of <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> through the trophic web: an experimental study on reptiles. (Parasitology (2025), PMID:39841034)
> The rat lungworm <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> is a zoonotic metastrongyloid nematode, currently considered an emerging pathogen approaching Europe. In tropics and subtropics, it is an important food-borne neurotropic parasite of medical and veterinary importance. Sources of infection for mammals and birds include gastropod intermediate hosts and poikilothermic vertebrates (paratenic hosts). To evaluate the relevance of reptiles in the rat lungworm circulation, we performed an experimental series focused on long-term survival of third stage larvae (L3) of <i>A. cantonensis</i> in reptiles and potential of saurians to serve as a source of infection for further hosts. Twenty leopard geckos (<i>Eublepharis macularius</i>) were infected with varying doses of L3 (100, 1000, 10 000 larvae per animal). Live L3 were collected from all infected geckos (mostly in musculature and liver) euthanized 1-6 months after the infection and were proven to be infective for Wistar rats (definitive hosts). Three sacrificed geckos were subsequently fed to three corn snakes (<i>Pantheropis guttatus</i>) to test hypothesis of L3 infectivity for predators positioned higher in the food chain. Snakes were euthanized 1 month post-infection and live L3 were detected predominantly in the intestinal wall. The animals remained clinically healthy throughout the study. No reptiles showed significant changes in haematological and biochemical blood parameters, though elevated CK and GLDH were observed in most geckos in the group receiving higher infectious dose. This study highlights the significant potential of reptiles to play a crucial role in the circulation of metastrongyloid nematodes in food web and in their transmission to humans.
— *verbatim, Europe PMC PMID:39841034*
Treatment of esophagogastric intussusception due to cryptosporidiosis using paromomycin in a corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus). (The Journal of veterinary medical science (2025), PMID:39924250)
> A 3-year-old captive corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus) was taken our veterinary clinic with a complaint of intermittent body swelling. Radiography revealed soft-tissue swelling, and ultrasonography confirmed intussusception of the digestive tract. Celiotomy revealed esophagogastric intussusception, which was subsequently corrected. Histopathological examination of gastric mucosal biopsy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from feces were revealed protozoan parasitism within the lesion and detected specific genes of Cryptosporidium spp. Oral administration of paromomycin at 100 mg/kg once daily for 10 days, subsequently twice weekly for 90 days under strict hygiene management were conducted as postoperative treatment. The snake was in good clinical health. PCR and ultrasonography for Cryptosporidium spp. 752 days after surgery showed no evidence of cryptosporidiosis.
— *verbatim, Europe PMC PMID:39924250*
Claims (verified C1 substrings of source_file)
The rat lungworm <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> is a zoonotic metastrongyloid nematode, currently considered an emerging pathogen approaching Europe. In tro…
A 3-year-old captive corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus) was taken our veterinary clinic with a complaint of intermittent body swelling. Radiography revealed sof…