Post-Outbreak Disease Risk Management Strategy for Sand Lizard Reintroductions

Area of Science:

• Herpetology
• Conservation Biology
• Microbiology

Background:

• The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is an endangered species in England with fragmented populations.
• Conservation translocations are vital for species recovery but carry disease risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reassess disease risk management for sand lizard reintroduction programs.
• To determine if Serratia marcescens is a naturally occurring bacterium in UK sand lizards.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a disease risk analysis for the sand lizard reintroduction program.
• Surveyed 194 free-living sand lizards for Serratia marcescens via cloacal swabs.
• Cultured swabs to identify bacterial presence and prevalence.

Main Results:

• Serratia marcescens was detected in 1.5% of the wild sand lizard population surveyed.
• This bacterium had not been previously recorded in reptiles in England.
• The risk from S. marcescens in the captive colony was assessed as low.

Conclusions:

• Serratia marcescens is a naturally occurring bacterium in UK sand lizards.
• Disease risk from S. marcescens is low for current sand lizard reintroduction efforts.
• Practical disease risk management methods can safeguard conservation translocations.