A positive fever response in Agama agama and Sceloporus orcutti (Reptilia: Agamidae and Iguanidae)

Abstract

Three species of lizards (Agama agama, Mabuya perrotetii, and Sceloporus orcutti) were tested for a possible increase in mean selected body temperature (MSBT) in response to intraperitoneal injection of alcohol-killed Aeromonas sobria, a gram-negative bacterium known to be pathogenic to reptiles. A paired experimental design was utilized in which each animal was given an injection of sterile saline and 1.10(10) A. sobria. Body temperatures were monitored via indwelling cloacal thermocouples at 4-min intervals for one 12-h light period under saline injection and for two consecutive 12-h light periods under bacteria injection. Agama agama demonstrated a significant increase in MSBT on both day 1 and day 2 of bacteria injection with increases of 2.7 and 2.3 degrees C, respectively. The latency period on day 1 averaged 6.4 h. Sceloporus orcutti demonstrated a significant decrease in MSBT on day 1 of bacteria injection and a significant increase in MSBT of 1.0 degree C on day 2 of bacteria injection. No fever was evident in S. orcutti until the beginning of day 2. Mabuya perrotetii did not exhibit a significant change in MSBT on either day 1 or day 2 of bacteria injection. Agama agama (family Agamidae) is the first Old World reptile to exhibit a fever response to bacteria injection, and with these results fever has now been demonstrated in the lizard families Agamidae, Iguanidae, and Teiidae.