Serpentoviruses in free-ranging invasive pythons and native colubrids in southern Florida, United States, 2018-2020

The presence of serpentoviruses in Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) and native snakes were collected and compiled to characterize serpentovirus in wild free-ranging pythons and free-ranging native snakes within the invasive range of the pythons in southern Florida. Virus presence was tested in 318 pythons and 219 Native snakes, primarily within the Greater Everglades Ecosystem of south Florida. When available, variables collected from submitted samples used for analysis included sampling date, sampling season (Summer/Fall/Winter/Spring), capture date, sample number (if tested more than once), reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR) result (positive/negative), virus type (categorical), sex (male/female), snout-vent length (centimeters), mass (grams), oral mucosal appearance, capture coordinates (Universal Transversal Mercator [UTM] Easting [CaptureUTMx] and Northing [CaptureUTMy]), and capture subpopulation designation (categorical). Snake samples were provided through various local, state, and federal organizations, including the United States Geological Survey (USGS), National Park Service (NPS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Conservancy of Southwest Florida (CSF), and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).