Screening of Ophidiomyces ophidiicola in the free-ranging snake community annually harvested for the popular ritual of San Domenico e dei Serpari (Cocullo, AQ, Italy)
In the Abruzzi village of Cocullo (Italy), each year, on May 1st, local snake hunters (known as Serpari) display colubrids, captured in the wild, to commemorate the ancient ritual of San Domenico.The ascomycete Ophidiomyces ophidiicola (Oo) is the causative agent of ophidiomycosis, an emerging disease with sublethal effects.Skin lesions, such as dy