Experimental infection of carpet pythons (

Sunshinevirus was originally isolated in 2008 from a collection of Australian pythons suffering an outbreak of neuro-respiratory disease. Sunshinevirus infection cases, including chronic asymptomatic infections, have subsequently been detected throughout Australia by PCR testing. To investigate the association between sunshinevirus infection and disease, controlled experimental infection studies in carpet pythons ( IMPORTANCE: Australian pythons are extensively kept in captivity. Since the 1990s, native Australian snakes with neuro-respiratory signs of disease, sometimes fatal, had been presenting to veterinarians in Australia. Research conducted at Murdoch University on some of these snakes resulted in the discovery of a novel virus, now named sunshinevirus (Sunviridae). Widespread follow-up PCR testing of pythons throughout Australia linked sunshinevirus infection to both asymptomatic virus-carriers and pythons showing signs of disease. Experimental infections were conducted to determine whether sunshinevirus infection caused disease in Australian pythons. The experiments demonstrated a causal relationship by fulfilling Koch's postulates, and 5/6 infected animals developed neurological disease. Infected pythons shed virus persistently for months, but control animals remained uninfected. Our findings provide veterinarians with valuable information for the management of sunshinevirus in zoos and private collections.