First Report of Micrococcus luteus in the Buccal Cavity of Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps) in Namibia

Abstract

Central bearded dragons, Pogona vitticeps, are ectothermic heliotherms native to dry and arid regions and are often kept as exotic pets in colder less arid countries. They do however, often fall sick resulting in sudden death. This is now known to be caused by bacterial infections such as Listeria monocytogenes and Porphyromonas pogonae sp. This study therefore, aimed to identify microorganisms present in the buccal cavity of the central bearded dragon (P. vitticeps) in Namibia. In order to achieve this, oral swabs were taken from a bearded dragon found in a garden in Windhoek, Namibia and grown in nutrient agar. Colony morphology was described before Gram’s staining to differentiate the bacteria. The automated VITEK®2 system was used to identify the bacteria. On nutrient agar, opaque yellow circular colonies were observed after 24hrs incubation at 37°C. A gram-positive coccus shaped bacteria was observed. VITEK®2 analysis identified the bacteria as Micrococcus luteus. There has not been a study on the microbiota of the buccal cavity of the central bearded dragon in Namibia.