Red-leg syndrome (bacterial dermatosepticemia) precipitated by poor water / environmental quality in amphibians
Verbatim first-hand facts from The Merck Veterinary Manual (amphibian). All bullets are exact substrings of the cited source file and C1-substring verified. Focus: toxicosis and environmental hazards of the pet species.
Toxicology facts
- Red-leg syndrome, also known as bacterial dermatosepticemia, refers to hyperemia of the ventral skin that accompanies systemic infection in amphibians. Saprophytic, gram-negative bacteria such as Aeromonas spp, Pseudomonas spp,Proteus spp, Elizabethkingia meningoseptica, Klebsiella spp, and Citrobacter spp typically cause red-leg syndrome. However, gram-positive organisms such as Streptococcus spp have been isolated from patients. Cultures should be considered for directing antimicrobial treatment. Ventral hyperemia is a nonspecific sign and may also occur with toxicosis, viral (ie, ranavirus ), and fungal (ie, chytridiomycosis, see below) infection. Malnourished, newly acquired amphibians that are maintained in poor-quality water or other inappropriate environmental conditions are particularly susceptible.