Histologic examination revealed Cryptosporidium infection associated with hyperplasia and mononuclear inflammation of the small intestine in all of the affected geckos. Parasites and lesions were only rarely observed in the stomach and large intestine of affected geckos. The histologic and ultrastructural lesions in the small intestine of leopard geckos infected with Cryptosporidium have not been well characterized. This report implicates Cryptosporidium as the cause of disease in the submitted geckos and describes the range of histologic lesions observed. Introduction Leopard geckos, Eublepharis macularius , have become popular pets and are a common reptile species in zoological collections throughout the United States.
Affected geckos are lethargic and many have diarrhea characterized by watery white urates.
Little information on the pathogenesis of this syndrome is available, however it has been associated with intestinal Cryptosporidium infection. 1,14 Cryptosporidium is a genus of protozoan parasites that infects numerous mammalian, avian and reptilian species. It is predominantly a gastrointestinal pathogen, however, respiratory infections also occur in birds. In reptiles Cryptosporidium infections are most commonly described in snakes associated with a chronic clinical course and hypertrophic gastritis. Thirteen of 17 geckos submitted to surgical pathology service, and all 5 of the geckos submitted for necropsy were adults.