فلور باكتريايي دهان مارهاي سمي و غيرسمي قبل و بعد از تغذيه

Bacterial Flora in the Mouth of Venomous and Non-poisonous Snakes before and after Eating

Abstract Background and objective: Snake bite is a public health problem in tropical and subtropical countries. Snake problem is not only lead to poisoning but also because of the snakeʹs mouth pathogens may be caused infection in the victims. This study was conducted to identify mouth bacteria in poisonous and non-poisonous snakes. Materials and methods: 11 non-toxic and poisonous snakes were examined before and three weeks after eating food in two stages. Bacterial samples from the oral cavity with a sterile swab were cultured on of blood agar and Mac Kanky medium. Gram staining was performed on all colonies. appropriate test methods were used for identification of gram-negative and positive bacteria. Results: Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus was the most common bacteria by 34.5 and Pseudomonas was less by 3.1 percent. Then the order, Salmonella (18.8%), Escherichia coli, Providencia (each 12.5%), Proteus, Enterococcus, Bacillus (each 6.2%) were identified in the snakes. Conclusion: Our results indicate that oral cavity is contaminated to the bacteria in non-toxic and poisonous snakes. Thus, probable infection should be considered in addition to toxicity in victims.